At least 95 killed, 133 Indians among 579 still missing after flash floods in Nepal

The Nepal flash flood ⁠death ⁠toll started rising as rescue operations progressed and reached 95, with hundreds of tourists and locals still missing hours after the tragedy struck ⁠the Himalayan border region of Nepal and Tibet at 9 am on Wednesday. Search and rescue teams have been deployed across the affected areas, though inclement weather and disruptions in communications made search-and-rescue operations difficult.

The number of missing tourists has gone up to 579, according to the latest figures confirmed by Nepali police.

Of the missing tourists, 466 are foreign nationals from 28 different countries.

One hundred and thirteen of the missing tourists are Nepalese, 54 are from the US, and the number of missing UK nationals remains at 33 people.

Earlier, Nepal Tourism Board had said that 403 people are still missing, including 61 Nepalese people and 341 foreign nationals. The missing foreign nationals included 133 from India, 47 from the US, and 33 from the UK, it added.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah said in a social media post that the entire nation is shocked and deeply distressed by the loss of life and damage to property in the sudden and massive disaster.

He said the government immediately mobilised all its resources for rescue operations without delay.

Riverside settlements in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts hardest hit

The flash flood in the Bhotekoshi River swept through settlements across Rasuwa and neighbouring districts.

Riverside settlements in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts are hit the hardest. “Entire settlements have been decimated, while banks, bridges, and markets have incurred major damages,” said Krishna Prasad Humagain, Nuwakot’s assistant chief district officer.

“Dozens of concrete bridges have been swept away. There has never been this much damage in history,” the officer added.

The flood has left 60 people associated with the 20-megawatt Langtang Khola Hydropower Project out of contact.

Twenty-five engineers, drivers, and kitchen staff and 35 workers who were inside a tunnel have been out of contact since morning, said project promoter Bijay Mohan Bhattarai Bhattarai.

“We have not been able to contact them so far,” he said, adding that the hydropower project had been completed and was scheduled to undergo testing in two days.

Meanwhile, 15 employees of the Rasuwa Customs Office in Timure are also missing, said Rajendra Dhungana, chief of the customs office.

Nepal asks India and China to help with rescue efforts

The Bhotekoshi River flooded around 9 am local time and swept away villages, roads, and hydropower projects, officials said.

“We have asked both India and China to help us with the rescue efforts,” said Sasmit Pokharel, a spokesperson for the Nepali government.

Dozens of multistoried buildings, trucks, and vans were buried under vast quantities of mud in the district of Nuwakot, one of the worst-affected areas. Officials warned residents in several of Nepal’s districts and asked them to stay away from the banks of the Bhotekoshi, Trishuli, and Narayani rivers.

‘Most missing tourists from India, on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash’

Nepal tourism board officials said most of the missing tourists were from India and the Indian diaspora on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in the Chinese autonomous region of Tibet, a sacred site for Hindus.

South Korean government officials said their citizens working on building a hydropower plant in Nepal were among those reported missing.

Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry also said its embassy in Kathmandu has received reports from travel agencies that they had lost contact with 11 Malaysians believed to be in the Rasuwa district, which was hit hard by the floods.

Home Minister Sudan Gurung and Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Khadak Raj Paudel have been coordinating rescue and relief flights from the Kathmandu airport.

Three dead, 265 missing in mudslide in Tibet’s Gyirong, says China

Meanwhile, Chinese authorities were conducting large-scale search and rescue operations in the Tibetan border area of Gyirong, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

⁠At least three people ⁠have ⁠died, with 265 others missing, ⁠following a mudslide in Tibet’s ⁠Gyirong on Wednesday, China’s state broadcaster CCTV said, citing authorities’ preliminary tally. The exact number of casualties is still being verified, CCTV said. These are the ⁠first casualty figures provided for the Chinese side of the border.

Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered authorities to step up the efforts for people missing after the mudslide, state news agency Xinhua reported. Xi also called for residents at risk to be evacuated from any area on the Chinese side.