At least 157 people have lost their lives and more than 500 are still missing due to the intense flooding caused by the rise of the Bhotekoshi River in the mountainous district of Rasuwa, in northern Nepal, near the border with the Chinese region of Tibet, according to Nepalese authorities reported this Wednesday.
The Nepal Police has detailed that the bodies recovered by search and rescue teams are distributed across seven districts, with a particularly high concentration, 64 of them, in Chitwan, located further south. The floods have cut off communications in wide areas of the country and seriously complicate rescue operations.
Among the hardest-hit areas are local markets and security posts. Additionally, 44 soldiers are considered missing in Timure, in the Rasuwa district, near the border with China, as well as 28 police officers and 13 members of the security forces.
These figures are joined by 60 employees from various hydroelectric plants located in the affected areas, as well as Customs and Immigration personnel who remain missing, according to a previous count by the National Authority for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (NDRRMA).
At this moment, 57 injured people are receiving medical attention in hospitals across the country, 21 of them in Rasuwa and the other 36 in different regions, including Kathmandu, the capital. Authorities have indicated that about 250 people have been rescued so far.
Along the course of the river, dozens of towns and infrastructures have suffered severe damage from the force of the water, which has also caused significant destruction on Chinese territory, across the border, especially at the Gyirong pass.
In light of the magnitude of the disaster, numerous forces have been deployed despite the enormous difficulties in accessing the hardest-hit areas. For these tasks, dozens of helicopters and security forces agents are on standby in the area waiting to continue with search and rescue operations, as reported by the newspaper "The Kathmandu Post."
The authorities have expressed their condolences to the families of the deceased victims and the injured, and have pointed to a landslide as the main cause of the incident, having obstructed the course of a river in Tibet before the Bhotekoshi overflowed. Therefore, they have asked the inhabitants of the areas near the Trishuli river to stay away from the riverbank and move to safe places.
The Nepalese Prime Minister, Balendra Shah, has stated that he has a "heavy heart" in light of the "enormous human and material loss caused by the sudden rise of the Bhotekoshi river in Rasuwa." "This has shocked and saddened the entire country. This unexpected natural disaster has plunged many of our brothers, sisters, and children into deep sorrow," he noted in a statement.
"On behalf of the Government of Nepal and on my own behalf, I want to offer my deepest tribute to all those who have passed away. I express my heartfelt condolences to those brothers and sisters who have lost their lives, to their families, and I lament the loss of all that they possessed. The entire Government of Nepal and the whole country stand with them in this unbearable pain. I wish a speedy recovery to all the injured," he added.
The Prime Minister has assured that "all their resources and mechanisms have been activated to carry out thousands of rescue operations," and has specified that several emergency Cabinet meetings have been held, in which "important decisions have been made to intensify rescue, search, and relief efforts."
"We are living in very delicate moments. Our top priority is to save the lives of the injured, search for the missing, and provide safety to the affected people. (...) The Government will continue to work to rescue citizens and normalize their lives. The search for missing persons will be intensified and complete information about the injured will be gathered," he stated.
"I want to assure you that you are not alone in these difficult times. The State is with you with all its means and resources. I ask for your patience. The Government takes full responsibility for your rescue, treatment, food, and shelter. In times of such disaster, we must all remain united," he concluded.
Hundreds of tourists remain unlocated
The Nepal Tourism Board has indicated to local media that nearly 400 tourists, mostly pilgrims heading to Mount Kailash in Tibet, remain missing due to a lack of communications as the floods continue.
Authorities have estimated that 384 tourists have lost contact, of which at least 93 are Nepalese and 291 are foreigners. Initial data suggests that 105 would be Indian citizens, 17 Malaysians, 12 British, four South Africans, three Americans, one Australian, and one Dutch, while the rest of the nationalities have not been detailed.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain has stated that, by mid-afternoon this Wednesday, it has no record of "affected or untraceable Spaniards."
In any case, Nepalese authorities have urged visitors to remain calm, stay properly informed, and always follow the official safety instructions issued by the competent authorities.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has announced the mobilization of just over one million euros to support the Nepalese Red Cross in "providing assistance" to the affected communities, especially those that have been isolated, as explained by the head of the IFRC delegation in the country, David Fisher.