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The death toll from the massive flash floods in Nepal has risen to 162, with scores of people, including security personnel and foreign tourists, still missing, PTI reported, citing a media report. The disaster has also caused extensive damage to property and infrastructure, making it one of Nepal’s worst disasters in recent years.
The flash floods struck three districts on Wednesday after an avalanche blocked the flow of the Lhende tributary of the Bhotekoshi River. The sudden surge first hit Timure, near Nepal’s border with China at Rasuwagadhi, according to 'The Kathmandu Post'.
Much of the settlement, which is home to hundreds of people, was swept away before the floodwaters surged downstream. With no rainfall reported in the area, residents received no warning and were carrying on with their daily routines when the disaster struck.
As the extent of the devastation became clear, Rajendra Dhungana, chief customs officer in Rasuwa, and dozens of others fled into a nearby forest to escape the floodwaters. More than 300 vehicles and trucks waiting at the customs checkpoint were also washed away.
UP, Bihar, Uttarakhand on high alert as rivers may rise
Officials and disaster response agencies in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Uttarakhand were placed on high alert and began evacuating people from vulnerable areas in border districts after a flash flood in Nepal’s Bhote Koshi River in Rasuwa district killed at least 160 people and left hundreds of tourists missing, including 133 Indians, Hindustan Times reported.
The flash flood, which occurred around 200 km north of the India-Nepal border, could lead to a rise in water levels in rivers originating in Nepal, including the Gandak in Uttar Pradesh and parts of north Bihar, according to Hindustan Times.
393 foreigners among 468 tourists missing after Nepal flash flood
Nepal on Thursday said 468 tourists and travellers, including 393 foreign nationals, remained unaccounted for 24 hours after a deadly flash flood swept through the border region near Tibet.
“About 468 tourists and travellers are out of contact, among them 75 are Nepalis,” Suraj Ghimire, spokesperson for Nepal’s Department of Tourism, told news agency AFP.
Aerial footage captures Nepal flood aftermath
Aerial footage captured during a rescue mission in Nepal has reveals the devastating aftermath of the flash floods, with entire villages reduced to muddy remains. The Nepali Army has been conducting aerial rescue operations and evacuating scores of people from the affected areas.
Authorities have also urged residents living along the river and in other vulnerable zones to move to safer locations as rescue and relief efforts continued.
558 people missing in Tibet after floods, including 260 foreigners
China’s state media reported that 558 people remained missing in Tibet following severe flooding that has also left hundreds of people unaccounted for in neighbouring Nepal.
Of those reported missing in Tibet, 260 were foreign nationals, state broadcaster CCTV said. The death toll in the region remained at three, according to the report.
No earthquake, glacial collapse triggered catastrophic Nepal floods: USGS
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said on Thursday that a glacial collapse, rather than an earthquake, triggered seismic activity and led to “catastrophic” impacts downstream in Nepal and Tibet.
According to the agency, the seismic activity was initially believed to have been caused by an earthquake. However, further analysis indicated that it was “instead a glacial collapse and debris flow” that subsequently caused catastrophic destruction downstream.
Early reports had suggested that an earthquake may have triggered an avalanche, which then led to severe flooding in Nepal. Nepal’s Foreign minister Shisir Khanal had also referred to the possibility in a statement, according to local media reports.
