Save the Children reunites 69 children with families after floods in Nepal

International humanitarian organization Save the Children has reunited 69 children with their families after sudden floods in Nepal. The search-and-rescue operation is ongoing, while the organization is distributing water and food to those affected, providing temporary shelter and medical assistance, RNZ World reports.

Deaths and missing people

At least 682 people have died, while about 3,000 more are considered missing after a flow of water and debris swept through the mountainous Himalayan region and engulfed entire villages.

Save the Children representative Amy Savitta Lefevre has been in Nuwakot, 50–75 kilometres northwest of Kathmandu, since Friday. According to her, the number of children reunited with their families may have increased, as the data covered the previous 24–48 hours.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Assistance for children

Lefevre named the separation of children from their families as one of the most urgent problems. Even five-year-old children sought assistance. Some of them were still wearing the clothes they had on during the disaster and needed water, food, blankets and medical care.

According to the organization's representative, some children developed upper respiratory infections after spending a prolonged period outdoors. Humanitarian workers are also concerned about overcrowding in temporary shelters: in one such centre, the number of children rose from 30 to 60 within several hours. This increases the risk of disease spreading, negatively affects children's mental state and reduces their level of protection.

Save the Children expects to provide humanitarian assistance in Nepal for a long time — for several months, a year or more.