Nepal declines foreign rescue help after deadly flash flood

Nepal has declined offers of foreign search and rescue assistance following a catastrophic flash flood that killed nearly 500 people and left over 1,500 missing, including hundreds of foreign nationals. The government stated its own security agencies are capable of managing the operation, a decision influenced by coordination challenges experienced during the 2015 earthquake. The disaster struck on Wednesday, August 26, when a glacier collapse high in the Himalayas triggered a massive torrent of rock, ice, and mud that tore through river systems near the Nepal-China border.