Death toll from flash floods on Nepal-China border rises to 162
The death toll from devastating flash floods that swept through villages and trekking routes in a border area of Nepal and China rose to 162 as hundreds remained missing, local media reported Thursday, with search and rescue operations backed by helicopters and drones continuing.
The floods were likely triggered by a large chunk of ice breaking off a Himalayan glacier some 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) northeast of the Rasuwa-Rasuwagadhi border crossing, according to satellite imagery, sending tons of ice and rock tumbling into the Bhotekoshi River below, the Himalayan Times reported.
The government said it is relocating displaced residents and mobilizing the army and private helicopter operators for search and rescue operations.
The Nepali Army and private helicopter operators have airlifted 114 people to safety.
Chitwan district in Bagmati province accounted for the highest number of casualties, with 64 deaths, followed by the adjoining districts of Dhading, with 27, and Nawalparasi East, with 22.
The missing tourists include more than 100 from India, 54 from the US, 34 from Australia and 33 from the UK. Nepal Police meanwhile said that 28 officers are still missing.
According to initial reports, the floods have destroyed 19 bridges and a 40-kilometer (25-mile) portion of a key highway, severing transportation routes and complicating rescue efforts.
Nepalese Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said the floods have caused "extreme damage" in several districts, cautioning that only preliminary information was available so far.
He called for heightened alertness along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli riverbanks in Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha and Chitwan districts, where risk remains high.
The government declared Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading "disaster crisis areas" for three months.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority has asked helicopter and drone operators to coordinate search and rescue efforts with district administrations, security agencies and local governments and is advising stranded residents to light fires and produce smoke to signal their location.
India, China and the World Bank have moved swiftly to coordinate financial assistance for the rescue, relief and reconstruction of flood-affected areas in Nepal, according to Nepal’s Ministry of Finance.
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