Spanish football giant Real Madrid and fellow competitors Malaga observed a minute’s silence before their La Liga fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, Augusr 30, to honour those affected by the devastating flooding in Nepal and Tibet. In addition to the pre-match tribute, players took to the pitch wearing black armbands in a gesture of respect.
Highlighting the tribute on social media, Real Madrid’s social media team shared an update on X.
“A minute of silence at the Bernabeu, in memory of the victims of the terrible flooding that has struck the border between Nepal and Tibet.”
The mark of respect comes as emergency teams in Nepal confront worsening devastation. Nepal Police confirmed that the recovered body count reached 788 by 3 pm on Sunday. Chitwan reported the heaviest losses with 264 fatalities, followed by Nawalparasi East with 194, Nawalparasi West with 120, Gorkha with 58, Nuwakot with 52, Dhading with 50, Tanahun with 37, and Rasuwa with 13.
Real Madrid then went on to cruising victory of 4-0 with Kylian Mbappe scoring yet again. English star Jude Bellingham was on the scoresheet too for the Los Blancos.
Real Madrid and rivals Barcelona have both won their opening two matches of the season and remain at the top of the table with six points.
Search operations and relief efforts underway
The tribute comes amid troubling times as according to updates from Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Authority (NDRRMA), 2,502 people remain unaccounted for as search efforts press forward. Unidentified victims are being held across 21 hospitals nationwide to facilitate identification.
The missing count includes 933 workers from regional hydropower developments, 592 international visitors, 127 local guides, and personnel from security and border agencies. Medical teams are attending to 239 injured individuals, supported by six specialised surgical units in the affected regions.
Nearly 20,000 security workers are deployed across the country, resulting in 8,730 ground rescues. Aerial units have flown 363 helicopter missions, transporting 3,081 people, including 236 foreign visitors, and extracting 279 individuals trapped inside a flooded hydropower tunnel. Recent updates confirm that specialised operations saved 260 men, 223 women, and 22 foreign nationals.
To assist survivors, the Nepalese government released cash grants, including NPR 10 million each to Rasuwa and Nuwakot, NPR 5 million to Dhading, and NPR 67.5 million distributed among 15 local councils.
