Nepal holds day of mourning for victims of devastating floods as families pray missing still alive

Nepal held a national day of mourning on Monday for victims of devastating glacial floods, as families of missing hydropower workers feared trapped in tunnels prayed rescuers might yet find them alive. The August 26 glacial and mountain collapse on the China-Nepal border killed at least 1,398 people, with more than 5,500 missing, including around 800 foreigners. Flags flew at half-mast, with candlelight vigils planned later in the day, following traditional Hindu mourning rituals on the 13th day after death.

Hundreds of hydropower workers are among the missing, but the rescue of three of them from deep inside tunnels — two Nepalis on Friday and a Chinese man on Saturday — have buoyed hopes that more could still be alive. Nepal Army spokesman Raja Ram Basnet told AFP on Monday that rescue efforts were continuing “with the same tempo we had on day one”. “Our focus is on search and rescue at three levels — on ground, by air, and in the tunnels,” he said. “We are making sure that no one is still stranded. ” Entire communities have been swept away, roads destroyed, and homes demolished. ‘Hope’ But families of some of the missing workers who gathered in the capital, Kathmandu, said the…