Kathmandu, Aug 27: The death toll from Nepal’s devastating flash floods surged to 359 on Thursday, after rescuers recovered more bodies from the affected districts, police said.
The massive flash flood originating in Tibet swept through central Nepal on Wednesday, devastating several towns and villages, washing away critical bridges and crippling a dozen hydropower projects, as it gushed downstream, affecting multiple districts.
Nepal Army and other security agencies are continuing search and rescue operations in the flood-affected districts, including Rasuwa, Dhading, Nuwakot and Chitwan.
According to Nepali Police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle, a maximum of 132 bodies have been recovered from Chitwan district.
The floods swept through Rasuwa and other districts before surging downstream along the Trishuli and Narayani river systems, significantly damaging hydropower projects, settlements, roads, bridges and other infrastructure.
According to data released by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), at least 826 people are missing in the flash floods, of which 590 were tourists.
The Ministry of External Affairs said in New Delhi that 288 of the missing people were Indians.
A preliminary assessment by Nepalese authorities and a revised analysis by the US Geological Survey point to a glacial collapse or ice-rock avalanche as the trigger for the devastating flash floods.
The collapse appears to have sent ice, rock and debris into the Lhende River, temporarily blocking its flow before the blockage gave way and unleashed a massive surge downstream into the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river system. (PTI)
