KATHMANDU, Aug 27: The death toll from devastating flash floods in Nepal rose to 162 on Thursday, with nearly 500 people, including security personnel, Indian nationals and foreign tourists, still reported missing, according to officials and local media reports.
The flash floods struck three districts on Wednesday after an apparent ice-rock avalanche blocked the Lendhe River near the Nepal-China border, triggering a massive surge of debris-laden water that entered the Trishuli River.
The disaster first hit Timure near Rasuwagadhi, sweeping away much of the settlement and hundreds of vehicles and trucks stationed at a customs checkpoint. Residents reportedly received little or no warning as there was no rainfall in the area at the time.
Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said a preliminary assessment indicated that an ice-rock landslide about 20 kilometres northeast of Rasuwagadhi blocked the Lendhe River. The resulting flood then appears to have entered the Trishuli River after passing through Timure.
At least 133 Indians and 37 non-resident Indians are among those reported missing, officials said. At least 50 of the missing Indians were pilgrims travelling for the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra.
As many as 81 security personnel also remain unaccounted for. They include 44 Army personnel, 28 Nepal Police personnel and nine Armed Police Force personnel deployed in areas including Rasuwagadhi, Syafrubesi and Betrawati.
The floods and landslides have severely damaged Nepal's transport infrastructure, disrupting roads across nine districts. Several major highways have been blocked, including sections connecting Kathmandu with other parts of the country.
A section of the Nagdhunga-Mugling national highway, a key route linking Kathmandu with other districts, has been closed indefinitely. Transport has also been disrupted on the Mechi Highway, BP Highway, Kanti Lokpath, Prithvi Highway and several other major roads.
Preliminary assessments indicate that nine hydropower projects and nine commercial bank branches were destroyed. At least 19 motorable bridges and around 40 kilometres of highways were also swept away, while the extent of damage to private and public property is still being assessed.
Officials and disaster experts said the scale of the devastation could make Wednesday's floods one of Nepal's deadliest disasters in modern history.
