As many as eight people have been killed and several remain missing, which includes 105 Indians, in the devastated flash flood that hit Nepal on Wednesday, washing away villages while damaging roads, bridges, and power projects. The flash flood water gushed from the Tibetan side of the border.
Furthermore, the official said that as many as 26 Nepal police personnel are also missing in the Rasuwa district, and seven armed police forces are missing.
In response to the flash floods, the Nepal Army has deployed helicopters and response personnel in the flood-hit areas.
However, the level of water was high for helicopters to land in areas of Syapru Besi and Timure, which have a population of about 50,000, the officials said.
Meanwhile, district administrator Narendra Pariyar, speaking to Reuters, said, “There could be heavy casualties or loss of property.”
The lifeless bodies of three men and a woman were found in Bidur Municipality in Nuwakot District, as told to PTI by a senior superintendent of police and spokesperson at the Bagmati Province Police Office. The bodies were recovered near the Trishuli River.
Following the flash flood, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority urged the people living near riverbanks in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Chitawan, and Gorkha to be on high alert and take safety measures.
As per Nepal’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, the flash flood was not the result of rainfall in Rasuwa. Dinkar Kayastha, information officer at the department, cited either the formation of a new glacier or the bursting of an already existing glacier. “We are still studying the matter, so the real cause is not yet known,” he said.
Rasuwa Assistant Chief District Officer Dhruva Prasad Adhikari highlighted that the flood was large in scale and caused major destruction in two settlements. He further said that several vehicles and goods kept at the customs premises were swept away, India Today reported.
The flash flood damaged eight operational hydropower projects with the capacity of 354 MW and five projects under construction in Nuwakot and Rasuwa districts, India Today further reported, sourcing the Independent Power Producers’ Association Nepal.
Additionally, Nepal Police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle told local media that the Area Police Office in Timure and police posts in Syaphrubesi and Rasuwagadhi were among the facilities damaged by the floods. Netra Bahadur Karki, spokesperson for the Armed Police Force, said four of its personnel went missing in Rasuwa after the flooding.
