Kathmandu, Aug 30: The water levels in the Bhotekoshi River rose again on Sunday, days after a devastating flash flood struck the area, prompting Nepalese authorities to caution search and rescue personnel in the flood-hit districts to remain alert.
The Bhotekoshi River, which flows south from the Himalayan border region, carried massive volumes of water downstream into central Nepal during flash floods on Wednesday.
The death toll from the flash floods, which caused widespread devastation, has surged to nearly 700.
“The water level in the flooded Bhotekoshi river has risen to some extent; all concerned are urged to take precautionary measures,” the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said in a statement.
It asked those involved in search and rescue operations and others in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading and Chitwan districts to remain alert.
The NDRRMA said it will provide updates on the situation after receiving additional information.
Bodies continue to be recovered in the Himalayan nation after the flash floods as search and rescue operations press ahead amid renewed rainfall and rising water levels.
Nearly 2,400 people remain missing following the disaster, according to authorities.
More than 15,000 security personnel have been mobilised for search and rescue operations, while helicopters have been making repeated sorties to evacuate stranded people and deliver relief supplies.
The flash floods had swept through the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river corridors, damaging roads, bridges, settlements and hydropower infrastructure.
At the Trishuli hydropower project site, Nepalese security personnel with the assistance of Indian tunnel experts continued efforts to evacuate those trapped by locating the tunnel’s entrance even after Saturday midnight despite heavy rain throughout the night, according to Nepal Army sources.
According to the NDRRMA, 242 people injured in the Bhotekoshi flash floods have been admitted to different hospitals, including Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital and Bir Hospital in Kathmandu and Rasuwa District Hospital in Dhunche till Saturday evening.
Of them, 135 have been discharged, 29 referred to other specialised medical facilities and 75 are currently undergoing treatment, it said.
The disaster, believed to have been triggered by a collapse or avalanche of ice and rock in the Himalayan region near the Nepal-Tibet border, sent a massive torrent of water, mud and debris downstream through central Nepal, devastating towns and villages in several districts, sweeping away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges and damaging hydropower projects. (PTI)
