Trishuli, August 28 : An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 hit Sichuan in China on Friday, prompting another flood alert in Nepal. The Trishuli area of Nepal is being evacuated again as a heavy flow of water from above has threatened to raise the river’s water level, Nepal Police stated.
The earthquake jolted Longchang City, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre, CGTN reported.
Issuing an alert, Nepal Police said that a dam on the Tibet side has burst again.
“Information has been received that the water dam on the Tibet side has burst again. Therefore, all security personnel, rescue workers involved in rescue and relief operations, and the general public are requested to remain immediately alert and move to safe locations or notify others,” Nepal Police posted on X.
Leader of Opposition in the House of Representatives, Bhishma Raj Angdembe, said that Nepal’s army is continuing the rescue operations despite geographical challenges.
He told reporters in Trishuli, “The geographical terrain here makes the weather conditions unfavourable for operations, yet our army and all our helicopter teams are fully engaged in the effort. Given the conditions upstream, we are taking immediate action–the federal, provincial, and local governments are all working together. There are two army helicopters, along with others from the private sector, all deployed in the operation. We are utilising every resource available to us. We are keeping everyone informed, and our security agencies are issuing advisories urging people to stay safe.”
Work on the road being built from Trishuli to Rasuka has been temporarily halted. All JCB machines have been recalled, and all road construction work has been stopped.
An official involved in rescue operations told ANI, “We have come here from Kathmandu, and we are analysing the situation here. The path here goes to Rasuwa. There is no way to go to Rasuwa; everything is damaged. The local government and the Nepal government will have to get the rubble removed.”
A JCB driver said, “The work is halted here. The water is rising again.”
The residents expressed anguish over losing their properties. Recalling the experience of escaping after being trapped in mud, a local said, “Everyone managed to get out safely. We were trapped in so much mud. We lost everything–our homes, shops, and belongings… We had no idea it was coming; we were busy with our work. At first, we just saw people moving and thought it was normal. But when we saw the water surging–50 feet high–from the Trishuli and Dhobi streams, we ran. We got trapped. Many people were swept away; the entire market area was washed out… There isn’t a single person left in the Trishuli market area. We managed to escape.”
The death toll due to the devastating flash flood in Nepal’s Rasuwa district rose to 469 on Friday, while 1,545 people were injured and rescued, Nepal Police said.
According to Nepal Police, the Chitwan district recorded the highest death toll with 178 bodies recovered, followed by 110 in NP East, 44 in Gorkha, 37 in Nuwakot, 33 in Dhading, 28 in Tanahun, 27 in NP West and 12 in Rasuwa.
Authorities have rescued 644 people from Rasuwa, 898 from Nuwakot and three from Dhading. (ANI)
