The United States Department of State announced this Sunday the launch of a package of more than 3.6 million dollars, about 3.1 million euros, in emergency humanitarian aid aimed at assisting the victims of the destructive flood recorded last Wednesday in Nepal.
"There is no greater priority for us than the safety of American citizens. Our embassies in Nepal and China are working closely to assist Americans and support disaster relief efforts," the U.S. State Department reported through an official statement disseminated via its social media.
The approved amount includes, among other measures, the distribution of emergency food aid that, according to Washington, will cover the basic needs of 10,000 households directly affected by the flood for up to three months. The White House has thus reiterated its "solidarity with the Nepalese people" and emphasized that both its embassy in Nepal and its legation in China are already coordinating on the ground the rescue tasks and efforts to reduce the impact of the disaster.
This injection of funds comes after the Nepalese government formally requested international support this Saturday, beyond the initial response from China and India and the contributions from Australia and Japan. Kathmandu is considering calling an international conference to raise additional resources while acknowledging that the country needs "several billion dollars" to be able to rebuild.
According to the latest official balance, the death toll rises to 675 and the number of missing persons stands at 2,498 after the flood of the Bhotekoshi River in the mountainous district of Rasuwa, near the border with the Chinese autonomous region of Tibet.