Kathmandu, Aug 26: The death toll from a massive flash flood in Nepal’s Bhote Koshi River rose to 95 by Wednesday evening, with dozens of security personnel, tourists and workers still unaccounted for as authorities continued search, rescue and relief operations across the flood-affected areas.
The massive flood, originating in the Tibetan region of China, swept through the transboundary Bhote Koshi River in the morning, leaving a trail of destruction in Nepal, particularly in the Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading districts.
The Prime Minister’s Office said the bodies of 95 people had been recovered from the affected areas by 7 p.m., although authorities were yet to complete identification of the victims.
The Nepali government said 44 Nepal Army personnel, 28 Nepal Police personnel deployed at various police posts and 13 Armed Police Force (APF) personnel working in the affected areas remained out of contact.
Likewise, 391 foreign tourists and 93 Nepali tourists remained unaccounted for following the disaster, while 60 employees working at various hydropower projects in the affected areas were also reported missing. Some employees of the Rasuwagadhi Customs Office and Immigration Office were among those unaccounted for.
Earlier, Nepal Police spokesperson Deputy Inspector General Abi Narayan Kafle said the flood was believed to have been triggered by an ice avalanche and that rescue operations were continuing. Authorities were also conducting awareness campaigns for people living in downstream districts along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers.
According to Nepalese media reports, 26 bank employees working for eight banks also remained out of contact. Onlinekhabar, quoting Nepal Bankers’ Association Chief Executive Officer Anil Sharma, reported that the employees were yet to be traced.
The government said 114 people had been rescued by helicopters, while 25 injured people rescued from the affected areas and brought to Kathmandu were undergoing treatment at hospitals across the Kathmandu Valley. Another 21 injured people were receiving treatment at a local hospital in Rasuwa district.
The flood also caused extensive damage to transport infrastructure, with at least 19 motorable bridges and 40 km of paved roads damaged, according to the government.
Several government offices, security installations, hydropower facilities and other infrastructure in the Nepal-China border region, particularly in Rasuwa, were also affected.
Authorities immediately mobilised security agencies and other concerned bodies for search, rescue and relief operations. At around 9 a.m., areas along the riverbanks were placed on high alert and residents were advised to move to safe locations and avoid going near the river.
Meanwhile, the secretariat of Finance Minister Dr Swarnim Wagle said India, China and the World Bank had pledged support for rescue and reconstruction efforts in disaster-hit Nepal.
World Bank Country Director for Nepal David Sislen informed Wagle soon after the flooding that emergency assistance of up to NPR 25 billion could be mobilised from various sources.
India asked the Nepal government to provide a list of essential relief materials urgently needed for flood victims, while China decided to provide immediate cash assistance, the secretariat said.
A Cabinet meeting on Wednesday declared the affected local governments in Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading as “disaster crisis-hit areas”, paving the way for mobilisation of domestic and international assistance.
Authorities were continuing to collect details of the human and physical losses caused by the disaster.
