Nepal floods: 288 Indian nationals among 826 missing, damage estimated at $1.31 billion

Nepal flash floods have left a trail of destruction behind. The death toll from Wednesday’s flash floods has reached 332, while hundreds of them are missing, including foreign tourists. The bodies recovered so far include 121 in Chitwan, 74 in Nawalparasi East, 29 each in Dhading and Gorkha, 28 in Nuwakot, 19 in Tanahun, 17 in Rasuwa and 15 in Nawalparasi West, reported Kathmandupost, citing Nepali Police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle.

The total number of people missing is close to 826 including residents, security personnel and domestic and foreign tourists as per the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority of Nepal. Of those, 644 are tourists, including 288 Indian nationals.

Indian nationals missing

India's MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in a briefing on Wednesday said that at least 288 Indian nationals remain out of contact, including 73 people working on the Trishuli 1 power project. The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu is in touch with the project head to obtain more information about the workers, he further said.

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Two separate groups of 37 and 49 nationals from Tamil Nadu, who travelled for the Amarnath Yatra remain unaccountable. Another group of 32 from West Bengal and 33 Indian nationals from Kerala also remain out of contact.

While 21 Indians have so far been rescued and 200 have sought assistance in Tibet.

Scale of destruction in Nepal

The infrastructure damage in the region is also huge. It is estimated to be around $1.31 billion, according to Minister for Physical Infrastructure Sunil Lamsal.

According to Lamsal flood had caused extensive damage to infrastructure, particularly roads and bridges.

• At least 19 motorable bridges and 40 kilometers of major roads have been severely damaged or washed away
• Roughly 430 megawatts of generation capacity that includes solar and 9 hydropower installations have suffered damage
• Several concrete buildings, local markets, and residential villages along the Bhotekoshi and Bhote Koshi river basins in districts like Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, and Chitwan have been swept away by the flash floods
• The damage is not only caused by water but also by boulders, sediment and landslide material, which makes reconstruction a difficult task