At least 2,500 buildings destroyed in Nepal valley

PARIS, Sep 1: More than 2,500 buildings were destroyed in Nepal's Trishuli valley in tsunami-like glacial floods on August 26, according to an AFP computation of data from Europe's Copernicus observatory.
That's about two-thirds of all buildings in the three potentially affected zones studied by Copernicus' emergency management service.
When partially damaged buildings are included, the proportion of structures affected rises to more than seven out of 10, underscoring the flood's violence as it tore through the valley.
Reuters adds, the death toll in Nepal's flood crossed 1,000 on Tuesday, as rescuers used heavy machinery, helicopters and excavators to reach the thousands still missing, nearly a week after the catastrophic Himalayan disaster left a trail of destruction across towns and valleys.
Specialised rescue teams from China, India and Nepal built temporary bridges to reach remote areas and dug through the ruins of hydropower projects in the Himalayas, using excavators to rescue close to 300 workers trapped inside tunnels.
The collapse of a glacier on August 26 sent a deluge of ice, rock and mud sweeping through the impoverished nation's border region with China.
At least 639 people remain stuck in several devastated hydropower stations that have become the focus of rescue efforts, the country's disaster management authority said on Tuesday.
The total confirmed death toll rose to 1,003, with about 4,000 people still missing, including 590 foreign nationals from 39 countries.�"AGENCIES