Nepal floods: Mounting death toll and concern for women and girls

As rescue efforts continue in Nepal, humanitarians are focused on how the recent deadly flash floods have impacted women and girls, as well as access to healthcare.The death toll currently stands at 987 while 4,247 people remain missing, Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office OCHA, said on Tuesday in Geneva.The catastrophic flooding was trigged by a glacier collapse in the Himalayas on the border with China. Authorities there report that 16 people were killed and 546 are missing, he said.‘Real and immediate’ risks remainNearly a week has passed since the flooding began, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is only now able to access hard-hit areas such as Rasuwa district.“Search and rescue is still ongoing, and the monsoon hasn’t stopped” said Matt Baden, IFRC Operations Manager for the Nepal crisis response, speaking from Kathmandu.“Blocked waterways remain at risk to further flooding, and threat of landslides is real and immediate.”Meanwhile, people are returning to look for their homes and what is left of them.Women and girls in needAs a result of the disaster, some 43,000 women and girls in Nepal now require immed...