Nepal flash flood fury: 8 dead, 105 Indians missing; villages submerged, bridges swept away | VIDEO

At least eight people were killed and 291 foreign nationals are are missing after a sudden flash flood from Tibet surged through the Bhotekoshi River, overflowing into Nepal's Trishuli River and causing widespread flooding in Rasuwa district on Wednesday (Aug 26). According to the Nepal Tourism Board, the missing foreign nationals include three from the US, 17 from Malaysia, 12 from the UK, four from South Africa, one from Australia and one from the Netherlands. The nationalities of 103 others are yet to be confirmed. The flood has caused extensive devastation to settlements along the river, and has damaged at least a dozen hydropower projects. Nepal's mountainous Rasuwa District shares its northern boundary with the Tibet border.

Dramatic visuals doing rounds on social media show Trishuli Bazaar bearing the full force of raging floodwaters, with houses submerged and structures collapsing as surging water swept through the area. The destruction is visible across the locality, with floodwaters inundating homes, roads and surrounding infrastructure. According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, confirmed flooding was not caused by rainfall in Rasuwa despite satellite imagery showing significant rainfall on the Tibetan side.

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Multiple downstream districts, including Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading and Chitwan, have been placed on high alert as officials launched search and rescue operations with the help of the Nepal Army in the affected areas. Nepalese government sent helicopters for rescue mission as the flood swept ‌away villages in the Himalayan nation. Rasuwa assistant chief district officer Dhruva Prasad Adhikari said that the scale of the flooding was unusually large and that the two settlements had suffered significant damage. Rasuwa chief customs officer Rajendra Dhungana said that several vehicles and goods kept at the customs premises were swept away. A recently constructed bridge was also destroyed.

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Meanwhile, the Nepal Prime Minister’s Office said that personnel from the Nepal army, armed police force and Nepal Police had been deployed in Rasuwa and nearby areas to strengthen rescue and relief operations. A high-level meeting will also be held to assess the situation and decide on further measures, according to the PM’s Office.