Nepal floods toll 579, 320 Indians missing

KATHMANDU/ NEW DELHI, Aug 28:

The death toll from flash floods in central Nepal rose to 579 on Friday, with more bodies recovered as search and rescue operations resume at full pace after a brief slowdown due to fear of fresh floods following an increase in the water level in the Bhotekoshi River area.

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The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said rising water levels at the site of a devastating flash flood earlier this week increased the risk of another flood in the area.

“The water level mixed with mud has increased at the same place where the flash flood occurred on Wednesday, and there is a risk of more flooding in the area,” the NDRRMA said.

The warning came after a massive flash flood swept through Rasuwa and other parts of central Nepal on Wednesday, killing hundreds and causing widespread damage to settlements, roads, bridges and hydropower infrastructure.

The NDRRMA urged people involved in search and rescue operations, as well as those staying in the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli areas for various reasons, to remain highly alert and immediately move to safer places if they face any risk.

Nepal Police on Friday said 579 bodies were recovered from eight districts of the Himalayan nation, with thousands still missing.

According to the police, 233 dead bodies have been recovered from Chitwan district, 154 from Nawalparasi East, 46 from Gorkha and 40 from Dhading.

Similarly, 37 dead bodies were recovered from Nuwakot, 30 from Tanahu, 27 from Nawalparasi West, and 12 from Rasuwa.

Five people have been killed in Gyirong County in the Tibet Autonomous Region, according to Chinese authorities.

At least 1924 people, including 86 security personnel, 517 foreign tourists and 127 Nepali travellers, have been missing since Wednesday morning when the flash floods hit Rasuwa and adjoining districts of Nepal.

So far, 1,545 injured and stranded people have been rescued from various affected regions. Among them, 84 are currently undergoing treatment in various hospitals in Kathmandu, where families are desperately searching for their loved ones.

So far, 4451 people have been rescued from different affected areas. These include 129 foreign nationals, including 85 Indians, and 191 people trapped in tunnels of various hydropower projects. Altogether, 101 injured people are undergoing treatment in various hospitals in Kathmandu.

Meanwhile, at least 320 Indians remain missing and around 400 others are stranded on the Chinese side following devastating flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border and India is ready to extend all possible to help to Kathmandu in its rescue efforts, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said 96 Indian nationals who were stranded on the Chinese side have safely crossed over to Nepal by land route.

Twenty-one Indians arrived in New Delhi this afternoon, a day after they reached Kathmandu from the flood-affected areas of Nepal, he said.

The Indian nationals from Tamil Nadu were received at the airport in the national capital by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

"As far as the number of people (Indians) whom we are not able to contact or who are missing, the figure at this point in time is 320," Jaiswal said.

"There are also around 100 persons of Indian origin who remained uncontactable. These are people of Indian origin who may have gone for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, but they hold other nationalities," he said.

Jaiswal said 400 Indians are stranded on the Chinese side but they are safe.

"They have been in touch with their family. Our embassy has been in touch with several of them. Many of their family members also contacted us through the helpline numbers that our embassy is running in Beijing."

"Our embassy is in touch with local authorities in China, and they are working out as to how these people who are there can be evacuated," he noted. (PTI)