Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene have expressed their profound sorrow as rescue efforts intensify following a catastrophic glacial collapse along the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday 26th August.
In an official statement issued through the Prince’s Palace, the Sovereign said that he and Princess Charlene wished to convey their deep sorrow in the face of the terrible catastrophe currently striking the border between Nepal and the Chinese region of Tibet.
“In these painful hours, my family and the Monegasque population join me in offering our sincere condolences to the bereaved families and expressing our full solidarity with the Nepalese people and all the affected populations,” the Prince said.
He also paid tribute to the rescue teams working in exceptionally difficult conditions. “We salute the dedication of the rescue teams mobilised in particularly difficult conditions, and we express the hope that the search operations will make it possible to find those still reported missing as quickly as possible,” he said.
The catastrophe and current crisis
The disaster was triggered by the collapse of a vast mass of glacial ice and rock on the morning of 26th August, generating seismic signals comparable to a magnitude-5.2 earthquake before sending torrents of mud, debris and ice through river valleys on both sides of the border.
The death toll has now risen to at least 489 in Nepal and five in Tibet, while nearly 1,000 people remain missing, including more than 500 foreign nationals.
Rescue operations were temporarily suspended on Friday after a lake formed by the debris began overflowing into Nepal’s Bhotekoshi River, prompting fresh evacuations and warnings of further flooding, landslides and avalanches. Crews have since resumed work where conditions allow, but damaged roads, unstable terrain and severe weather continue to hamper access to the worst-hit areas.
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Photo credit: Cassandra Tanti