Hundreds of Nepalis in Hong Kong gathered on Monday to pay tribute to thousands of victims of the flash flood in their homeland, marking the traditional 13th day of mourning since the disaster struck.
The hour-long programme, organised by local community groups with support from the Nepalese consulate, coincided with a national day of mourning in Nepal on September 7.
Addressing the crowd, Satish Gurung, the acting consul general for Nepal in Hong Kong, said it was a “very difficult time” for the country.
“The flash flood disaster of August 26 in Nepal, Tibet and China was a terrible tragedy with unfathomable cost to human lives. As of today, the death toll stands at 1,355, with an additional 4,996 still missing,” he said.
Gurung noted that the disaster was driven in part by “global warming in the mountains” and called for support to Nepal not only through aid and charity, but also through climate justice.
Climate justice frames global warming not just as an environmental problem, but as a human rights issue where the burden of change falls on the world’s biggest polluters.
At a community hall in Yau Ma Tei, attendees lit electric candles, laid flowers, and left messages of condolence to honour the dead.
About half a dozen participants had families affected by the floods in Nepal, and they received counselling from the Hong Kong Red Cross.
Amar Tamang, a Hong Kong resident for seven years, said he feared the worst for his 75-year-old grandmother, who lived in the flood-hit Trishuli Bazaar area.
“Her whole house was flooded and covered in mud,” Tamang said in Nepalese, tearing up.
The 42-year-old said he hoped the government and non-profit organisations would help recover her body.
Yau Tsim Mong district councillor Aruna Gurung said the programme marked the final day of the traditional 13-day Hindu mourning period, during which prayer rituals are held to honour the dead. Nepal is a Hindu-majority nation.
She previously told the South China Morning Post that 60 Nepali residents in the city hailed from the devastated Trishuli River region, and two had lost their lives in the disaster.
Gurung said she and the local community would try their best to help those with families affected by the floods.
“We hope to serve as a bridge to pass messages on behalf of those who lost contact with families in Nepal, or by providing supplies and emotional support, not just today but in the days ahead,” said Gurung, whose office was one of the event’s co-organisers.
Rabina Joshi, a Nepali clerk who has lived in Hong Kong for 19 years, came to offer condolences straight from work in Hung Hom.
“We cannot do much but contribute by being here to show support to families and friends,” Joshi said.
Separately, Black Sheep restaurant group has raised more than HK$225,000 (US$28,700) through donations to support disaster relief efforts in Nepal.
With one-fifth of the group’s hospitality staff from the Nepalese community, it aims to raise HK$500,000 and has extended the closing date for donations to September 13. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
