Israeli aid group heading to Nepal following deadly flash flooding

Medical and mental health professionals from NATAN Worldwide Disaster Relief are on their way to Nepal following the massive flash floods on the Nepal-Tibet border.

According to The Associated Press, the deluge was likely caused by a huge chunk of glacier that broke off and temporarily dammed a river. Scientists are still piecing together information from satellite and ground-level data to figure out exactly what happened to cause the flood, which has killed at least 353 people and left more than 1,300 missing, including foreigners and pilgrims.

“We are returning to Nepal with the experience and partnerships we built with the Nepali people after the 2015 earthquake,” says Gil Reines, chairman of NATAN’s executive board. “Precisely at a community’s moment of crisis, we are there to extend a hand, stand behind them, and walk alongside them on the path toward recovery.”

Separately, a group of rescuers from the Harel 669 private search and rescue company is also heading to Nepal to join the search for an Israeli hiker missing since the flash floods. The delegation from the insurance company is said to be made up of eight team members flying in to assist in the search for the man.