At least 95 people have lost their lives and more than 600 are still missing due to the intense flooding triggered by the strong rise of the Bhotekoshi River in the mountainous district of Rasuwa, in northern Nepal, very close to the border with Tibet, in China, according to what Nepalese authorities reported this Wednesday.
The National Authority for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (NDRRMA) has detailed that the bodies recovered by search and rescue teams are distributed across seven districts, with a greater concentration in Chitwan, further south in the country. The disaster has caused communication cuts in wide areas of the territory, which seriously complicates relief operations.
Among the hardest-hit areas are local markets and security posts. In addition, 44 soldiers are considered missing in Timure, in the Rasuwa district, near the border with China, along with 28 police officers and 13 members of other security forces.
This count includes 60 employees from various hydroelectric plants located in the affected sectors, as well as Customs and Immigration personnel, whose whereabouts remain unknown, according to the balance released by the NDRRMA.
So far, 57 injured people are being treated in different hospitals across the country: 21 in Rasuwa and the remaining 36 in other regions, including Kathmandu, the capital. At the same time, around 250 people have been rescued since the emergency began.
Along the riverbed, numerous settlements and infrastructures have suffered extensive damage due to the force of the water, which has also caused significant destruction in Chinese territory, in the border section, especially at the Gyirong pass.
Authorities have deployed a large contingent of emergency personnel despite the serious access difficulties to the most isolated areas. For this, they have the support of dozens of helicopters and security forces, who remain ready to continue with search and rescue tasks, according to the newspaper "The Kathmandu Post".
The Government has expressed its condolences to the families of the fatalities and the injured, after pointing to a landslide as the origin of the disaster, having obstructed the course of a river in Tibet before the overflow of the Bhotekoshi occurred. In this context, residents of the areas near the Trishuli river have been asked to stay away from the riverbank and move to safe places.
The Nepali Prime Minister, Balendra Shah, has stated that he has a "heavy heart" for 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 regret the loss of everything they owned. 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 asserted.
Shah emphasized that "all its resources and mechanisms have been activated to carry out thousands of rescue operations," and 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 through 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 declared.
"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, whereabouts unknown
At the same time, the Nepal Tourism Board has informed local media that more than 400 tourists, mostly pilgrims heading to Mount Kailash in Tibet, are currently missing due to the inability to establish contact while the floods persist.
Authorities estimate that 484 tourists have lost communication, of which at least 93 are Nepalese citizens and 391 are foreigners. Initial data indicates that among them there would be 105 Indians, 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 indicated 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, inform themselves through official channels, and strictly follow the safety instructions issued by the competent institutions.