MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands donate £40,000 to Red Cross appeal for Nepal flood victims

The flash flood tore through the north of the country on August 26, destroying homes, roads and bridges and cutting off entire communities

The Falklands Legislative Assembly has approved a donation of £40,000 to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in support of its emergency response to the floods that devastated northern Nepal.

The flash flood tore through the north of the country on August 26, destroying homes, roads and bridges and cutting off entire communities. The worst-hit districts were Rasuwa and Nuwakot. The IFRC estimates that around 93,000 people have been affected. The Legislative Assembly put the death toll at more than 1,300; Nepali police confirmed 469 in the days following the disaster, and humanitarian agencies maintain that thousands remain missing, among them more than 500 foreign nationals.

The cause is still under investigation, though early indications point to the collapse of a glacier near the Langtang Lirung peak upstream, which is believed to have sent a sudden surge of water into the Bhote Koshi river.

The donation will support the work of the IFRC and the Nepal Red Cross Society, whose teams are on the ground providing clean water, shelter, first aid and emergency supplies. The IFRC released nearly one million Swiss francs from its disaster response fund on the day of the disaster and launched a 25 million Swiss franc emergency appeal the following day.

The Falklands hold a long-standing connection with Nepal. Gurkha soldiers took part in the liberation of the Islands in 1982 and two died as a result of the conflict: Lance Corporal Budhaprasad Limbu, of the 1st Battalion, 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles, was killed on June 24 at Goose Green when his spade struck a grenade during battlefield clearance work, and Corporal Krishnakumar Rai, of the Queen's Gurkha Engineers, died months later in an ordnance explosion while engaged in similar work. Memorials to both were unveiled in the Islands in 2019. Gurkha units have continued to serve in the archipelago since.

MLA Jack Ford, Chair of the Legislative Assembly, said: “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this terrible disaster. The Falkland Islands know what it means to depend on the courage and kindness of others in our own hour of need, and the people of Nepal hold a special place in our history. This donation is a heartfelt expression of the solidarity and gratitude our community feels towards them.”