More than 1,000 people have been killed and approximately 4,400 remain missing following catastrophic flash floods in Nepal, as rescue teams continue searching through areas devastated by torrents of water, mud and rocks.
Among those still unaccounted for are two Israelis. Chabad representatives in Nepal are currently coordinating searches involving approximately 30 Jews and local residents who remain missing following the disaster.
The deadly flooding struck the China-Nepal border region on August 26 after the collapse of a glacier triggered a massive flow of water, mud and rocks. Entire villages were destroyed, bridges and roads were swept away, and numerous areas were left cut off from outside access.
Rabbi Chezki and Chani Lifshitz, the Chabad shluchim in Nepal, have turned preparations for Rosh Hashanah at the Chabad House in Kathmandu into an emergency search-and-rescue operation. The Chabad House normally hosts hundreds of Israeli travelers over Yom Tov, but the couple is now spending much of their time speaking with worried families around the world and coordinating with local authorities.
A Chabad aid team carrying food and medical supplies has also been dispatched, although widespread destruction has made it extremely difficult to reach some of the affected areas. Dozens of suspension bridges have been destroyed, roads connecting Kathmandu with the northern border have been severed, and damage to infrastructure has severely disrupted communications. Some locations can now only be reached by air.
Chani Lifshitz also described the enormous difficulty involved in identifying victims recovered after spending days beneath the mud. Chabad is working to ensure that any Jewish victims are properly identified and brought to kevurah in accordance with halacha, while trying to prevent Jewish victims from being buried in mass graves.
“We are in contact with the families, the local communities and the officials on the ground, and are trying to gather every possible detail,” Lifshitz told Chabad.org. “We are checking every report, every name, every location and every possible clue.”
Lifshitz said she and her husband have barely slept during several nights this week as the searches continue and families wait desperately for information about their missing relatives.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
