Water rose 30 feet and at least 160 people were killed, while hundreds of others, including scores of Kailash Mansar-ovar pilgrims from India, remained missing after a flash flood and mudslide of unprecedented scale in Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers tore through a part of Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday morning. It swept away settlements, hydropower units and the pilgrim route.Nepal Police put the toll at 157, while Chinese authorities reported three deaths and 265 people missing in Tibet’s Gyirong county. Nepal Police said 579 others — 466 foreigners from 28 countries and 113 Nepalis — remained untraced, including at least 133 Indians. Among the missing were at least 37 NRIs. Frighteningly, as many as 33 bodies were found 150km downstream at Chitwan, showing how far the dea-dly waters carried victims.
466 foreigners in untraced list
Pilgrims were planning to cross border when flood hit
Among the missing foreigners were 54 Americans, 34 Australians, 33 Britons, 24 Canadians, 19 Malaysians and 8 Koreans.Many were Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims, with nearly 400 of them, including the Indians, preparing to cross the Nepal-Tibet border or travelling through the region when the flood struck.ALSO READ | Nepal floods: MEA issues helpline numbers as over 100 Indians go missingRescue personnel battled poor weather, mud, washed-out roads and high river levels even as authorities moved families from vulnerable settlements to safer locations.Nepal foreign minister Shisir Khanal told parliament that 29 police personnel and 44 soldiers remained untraced after floodwaters swept away their barracks in Rasuwa, while customs officials, hydropower workers and other employees stationed near the border were also missing. At the 20MW Langtang Khola Hydropower Project, dozens of workers are out of contact. The torrent also swept away or inundated security posts, customs facilities, banks and other establishments along the river corridor. Nepal PM Shah appealed for patience and unity as the Nepali Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force deployed helicopters, drones, boats and ground teams for search-and-rescue operations.Across the border, floods and mudslides severed several roads, communications and electricity around the (dry) Gyirong port, a key Nepal-Tibet crossing used by Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrims. Chinese president Xi Jinping called for “all-out efforts to search and rescue people who are missing”.
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The flood destroyed critical infrastructure across northern and central Nepal, with preliminary govt estimates showing at least 19 bridges and around 40 km of roads damaged or washed away; 13 hydropower projects were hit, and around 200 trucks were lost. The Nepal govt declared the worst-affected areas disaster-hit zones for the next 3 months and ordered authorities to provide free treatment to the injured.(With agency inputs)
