Nepal Flood Kills 8, Triggers Rescue Operations In North
Sudden Bhote Koshi River flood sweeps through Rasuwa, damaging homes, vehicles and power infrastructure.
Kathmandu: At least eight people were killed after a massive and sudden flood swept through northern Nepal on Wednesday, causing widespread destruction in a border settlement and putting several downstream districts on high alert, officials said.
Nepal Police spokesman Abi Narayan Kafle said eight bodies had been recovered so far, while rescue operations were continuing in the affected areas.
The flood surged through the Bhote Koshi River at around 9 am local time, reportedly from the direction of Tibet. The sudden rise in water caused extensive damage in Timure in Rasuwa district and nearby Syafrubesi, with vehicles, goods and other property washed away, the Nepal Army said.
“We do not exactly know the extent of damage, but the flood is big, and it could have damaged many settlements,” Kafle told AFP.
Authorities alerted residents living near rivers to move to safer areas and deployed available resources for rescue and relief operations.
Videos shared by Nepal Police and others on social media showed torrents of muddy water rushing through mountain valleys in Rasuwa, a Himalayan district located about 125 km from the Tibet border and northeast of Kathmandu.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah convened an emergency meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority to assess the situation and coordinate relief efforts.
“Work has started to take necessary steps in coordination with the medical team, scouts, and Red Cross,” Shah said in a social media post.
The Nepal Army said it had deployed 14 helicopters along with disaster response teams to assist rescue and relief operations. Officials were also collecting details of the damage and assessing the impact on affected communities.
The Nepal Electricity Authority said the disaster damaged facilities representing about 430 megawatts of electricity generation capacity, including hydropower and solar projects. Damage to transmission and distribution infrastructure also disrupted electricity supplies.
Several highways were closed following the flooding, authorities said.
Nepal and other parts of South Asia regularly experience deadly floods and landslides during the June-to-September monsoon season. Scientists have warned that climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events across the region.
