Kathmandu, Aug 26: The death toll from devastating flash floods in Nepal rose to 95 on Wednesday, with hundreds of people still missing after the Bhote Koshi River surged through parts of the Himalayan nation, officials said.
The flash floods struck Rasuwa district, near the Tibet border, and swept through settlements, damaging roads, bridges, hydropower projects and telecommunications infrastructure. Rescue operations have been launched on a large scale, with Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police personnel deployed in the affected areas.
Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah said more than 250 people had been rescued so far and that the government had mobilised all available resources for rescue and relief operations. Injured people are being airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment.
The government has allocated 100 beds at Bir Hospital and the National Trauma Centre in Kathmandu for free treatment of those injured in the disaster. Major hospitals in the Kathmandu Valley have been placed on standby, while medical teams have been sent to affected areas.
The worst-hit areas include Bidur in Nuwakot; Uttargaya and Gosaikunda in Rasuwa; Gajuri, Galchi, Benighat, Tripurasundari and Siddhalek in Dhading; and Shahid Lakhan and Gandaki rural municipalities in Gorkha, according to the prime minister.
Hundreds remain unaccounted for
Nepal Tourism Board said 384 travellers, including 291 foreign nationals, had been reported missing or could not be contacted in the affected areas. A preliminary list included 105 Indian nationals, although authorities were verifying the information with travel agencies, guides, local authorities and security agencies.
Several security personnel and government officials are also reported missing. Rescue teams have been using helicopters to reach affected areas, though damaged infrastructure and communication disruptions have complicated operations.
India sends relief assistance
India has stepped up its humanitarian response, with 10 tonnes of relief material being dispatched to flood-hit Nepal. The Indian Air Force has also kept transport aircraft, including C-130J and C-17 aircraft, ready for relief operations, with medical supplies, rescue equipment and other essential material being prepared for deployment.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Shah and conveyed India’s readiness to provide all possible humanitarian assistance. India has also issued emergency contact numbers through its embassy in Kathmandu for Indians affected by the disaster.
The cause of the sudden surge is still being assessed, with reports pointing to an avalanche or glacial event in the upper reaches of the river system. Rescue and relief operations remain underway as authorities work to locate those missing and provide food, drinking water, medicines and temporary shelter to affected families.
Authorities have urged people to stay away from riverbanks and vulnerable areas as rescue operations continue.
