The authorities of Nepal have updated this Thursday to nearly 289 the balance of fatal victims from the floods recorded on Wednesday after the strong rise of the Bhotekoshi river in the mountainous district of Rasuwa, near the border with Tibet, in China. The disaster has left more than thirty injured and hundreds of people missing.
The Nepal Police has stated in a statement disseminated on social media that so far 177 bodies have been recovered within the search and rescue operations, 69 of them in the district of Chitwan. In addition, it has detailed that 33 people have been transferred to hospitals and that the number of agents mobilized in the affected areas has increased to more than 3,300.
The National Authority for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction, relying on data from the tourism authorities, has reported that 579 travelers are listed as missing in the areas hit by the floods, including 466 foreigners and 113 Nepalese citizens.
Previously, the Nepal Tourism Board had explained to local media that nearly 400 tourists, all of them pilgrims heading to Mount Kailash, in Tibet, were missing due to the impossibility of maintaining contact while the floods continued to advance.
On the morning of this Thursday, the Nepalese Prime Minister, Balendra Shah, has communicated on social media that the Government has reinforced "from early on" the search, rescue, and humanitarian assistance tasks in the affected areas. Among the measures is the use of helicopters from both the Nepal Army and private companies, in addition to the deployment of ground teams.
"To help citizens in risky situations, the Nepalese Army delivered humanitarian aid supplies last night, including basic food, tents, and medicines", Shah specified.
The authorities have urged, in any case, the tourists present in the area to remain calm, stay informed, and comply at all times with the official safety instructions issued by the competent authorities.