At least seven people have lost their lives as a consequence of the flooding generated by the strong rise of the Bhotekoshi River in the mountainous district of Rasuwa, in central Nepal, according to what Nepalese authorities communicated this Wednesday.
Along the course of the river, numerous settlements and infrastructures have suffered significant damage from the force of the water. The Nepal Army has indicated that, for the moment, around 25 people have been rescued alive.
Emergency teams have been deployed alongside police agents and have the support of 14 helicopters, waiting to continue with search and rescue tasks, according to information from the newspaper "The Kathmandu Post".
Among the most affected areas are local markets and security posts. In addition, at least nine members of the security forces stationed in Timure, near the border with China, remain missing.
The authorities have not yet determined with certainty the origin of these floods, although several high-ranking officials point to a possible landslide that may have blocked the course of a river in Tibet before the Bhotekoshi overflowed. Therefore, they have urged residents of areas near the Trishuli River to stay away from the banks and move to safe places.
About 400 tourists missing
A senior official from the Nepal Tourism Board has explained to local media that about 400 tourists, all of them pilgrims heading to Mount Kailash in Tibet, are currently missing due to the lack of communications while the floods persist.
The authorities have estimated that 384 tourists have lost contact, of which at least 93 are Nepalese and 291 are foreigners. Initial data indicates that 105 would be Indians, 17 Malaysians, 12 British, four South Africans, three Americans, one Australian, and one Dutch, while the rest of the nationalities have not been made public.
In this context, the authorities have asked tourists to remain calm, stay informed, and always follow the official safety instructions issued by the competent authorities.