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Teej Festivals Cancelled Across Canada as Nepal Grapples with Extreme Flooding
Organizers said the cancellations will send ticket-sale proceeds to Nepal relief as the disaster death toll climbed to 675 and 2,498 people were missing.
On Sunday, Nepalese community organizations across Canada cancelled annual Teej cultural festivals, redirecting celebration funds to Nepal relief efforts after devastating flash floods in Nepal and China.
A glacier collapse in the Himalayan border region triggered flash floods on Wednesday, killing 800 people and leaving roughly 3,000 missing as whole towns and villages were swept away.
Punam Dhungel, president of the Nepali Canadian Women's Society of B.C., sent $15,000 to the Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund on Saturday, while Bal Sharma, president of the Nepalese Society of Vancouver Island , pledged 100% of planned event spending to relief.
The Canadian government announced $5 million in humanitarian assistance, while Nepal's finance minister Swarnim Wagle estimated preliminary reconstruction costs between $4 billion and $5 billion US.
Community leaders are organizing candlelight vigils next week amid widespread devastation along the Nepal-Tibet border, signaling continued focus on recovery as authorities warned of possible fresh flooding Sunday.