The death toll from the devastating flash floods in Nepal's Bhote Koshi River has risen to 177, while more than 800 people remain out of contact, Nepali authorities said on Thursday. The floods, which originated in the Tibetan region of China, swept through the transboundary Bhote Koshi River, causing widespread destruction across several districts in Nepal.
Nepal Police said the bodies of 177 people had been recovered as of 10 a.m. Thursday. The remains were recovered from riverbanks across downstream districts along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river systems, including Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Chitwan, Gorkha, Tanahun, Nawalparasi East and Nawalparasi West. Most of the bodies were recovered in Chitwan.
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, 826 people remained out of contact as of 11 a.m. Thursday. The list includes 579 tourists, 48 Nepali Army personnel, 28 Nepal Police personnel, 13 Armed Police Force personnel and 162 others from Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts.
Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah said the Nepali Army carried out a rescue operation early Thursday and safely evacuated 95 Nepali citizens and 21 Indian nationals from Timure, one of the worst-affected areas.
Prime Minister Shah also travelled to flood-hit Bidur Municipality in Nuwakot to assess the damage and review relief and rehabilitation efforts. He was expected to hold discussions with local officials, security agencies and elected representatives on restoring damaged infrastructure and ensuring relief reaches affected areas.
Meanwhile, India has stepped up its response to the crisis. NDRF Inspector General Narendra Bundela said nine teams of the force have been deployed across vulnerable areas of Bihar, including two teams specifically for the Gandak River region. One team has also been diverted to Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, which could be affected by rising water levels.
Bundela said the Gandak River could affect parts of both Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and that state authorities were closely monitoring the situation. The NDRF remains on standby to provide assistance to Nepal if requested, while India is providing humanitarian aid through military aircraft.
India on Thursday also dispatched a second flight carrying 37.5 tonnes of humanitarian supplies, medicines and food packets to Nepal. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said India remains in close contact with Nepalese authorities and will continue supporting the ongoing rescue and relief operations.
The NDRF deployment was increased after the Government of India received information about the unprecedented flooding in China and Nepal. The Bihar government coordinated with the Central Water Commission to assess the possibility of flooding in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, while additional NDRF teams were deployed following a review by the Bihar Chief Minister.
Rescue and relief operations continue in Nepal as authorities work to locate those still missing, evacuate stranded people and restore infrastructure damaged by the massive floods.
