King Charles III has said he and Queen Camilla are “heartbroken” by the deadly flash floods and landslides at the Nepal-Tibet border, as the UK government pledged £5 million in emergency aid.
In a personally signed message posted on the royal family’s X account on Thursday, the British monarch expressed sympathy for families who lost loved ones in the disaster.
King Charles noted that many people in the United Kingdom have strong and personal ties to Nepal and the surrounding region.
“We send our most profound sympathy to all those who have so tragically lost their loved ones and we feel deeply for the many families awaiting anxiously the news of friends and relations,” he said.
The King also paid tribute to police and armed forces personnel who died while responding to the disaster.
“Our hearts go out also to the families of all the police and armed forces personnel who lost their lives while carrying out their courageous duty in the service of others,” Charles said.
Earlier, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the United Kingdom would support Nepal as the country responds to the devastation.
“We’ll be there for Nepal in its hour of need right now,” Burnham said as his government pledged £5 million, equivalent to about $6.8 million, and offered to deploy emergency responders.
“It’s a devastating picture that is emerging from what has happened in Nepal,” he told reporters, adding that the funding would support emergency response efforts.
The disaster has left hundreds of people missing, including foreign nationals.
Nepal’s Tourism Board said 33 people from Britain were among 517 foreigners reported missing following the deadly floods and landslides.
The UK government has not confirmed the figure, saying only that a number of British nationals were believed to be missing.
Britain and Nepal have longstanding historical ties, most notably through the British Army’s Gurkha brigade, which has recruited soldiers from Nepal for centuries.
The Gurkha community also paid tribute to the emergency personnel responding to the disaster.
In a social media message on Thursday, the brigade’s association praised “the work of our brothers and sisters in the Nepal Army and emergency services” involved in rescue and response operations.
“As the scale of the tragedy in Nepal becomes apparent today, all of the Gurkha family stand united in support of the people affected,” the message said.
The UK’s financial assistance and offer of emergency support come as Nepal continues to assess the full scale of the disaster and search for hundreds of people reported missing.
