Search Expands in Nepal Flood Disaster as Missing Count Surges Past 1,900
Rescue workers evacuate people affected by flooding in Nuwakot, Nepal. Photo: Dipendra Dhungana/NepYork
At least 1,924 people remain missing following massive flooding triggered by the Bhote Koshi River in Rasuwa district, according to data released Friday evening by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA).
As of 7 p.m. local time, authorities confirmed 579 deaths, while 101 injured individuals are currently receiving treatment in local hospitals.
The NDRRMA detailed that the missing include 1,133 workers from local hydroelectric projects, 517 foreign nationals, and 127 non-resident Nepalis visiting the country.
Search and rescue personnel have also been severely affected. According to the agency’s report, 45 personnel from the Nepali Army, 28 from the Nepal Police, and 13 from the Armed Police Force remain unaccounted for.
The highest casualties have been reported in Chitwan district, where officials have recovered 233 bodies. Navalparasi East has documented 154 deaths, and Gorkha has recorded 46 fatalities.
Disaster response efforts have deployed 15,431 security personnel across the affected regions. Fleet operations using 16 helicopters have successfully rescued 4,451 people to date.
Infrastructure damage includes 198 telephone towers disrupted by the floodwaters. Telecommunications crews have restored service to 145 of those towers, according to the NDRRMA.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah said in a Facebook post that the government is prioritizing the protection of lives and the safety of flood-affected families, pledging that the state would reach every citizen still awaiting rescue.
He said 15,431 security personnel have been deployed in Rasuwa and along the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli corridor, including 4,473 Nepal Police personnel, 6,755 Nepali Army personnel and 4,203 Armed Police Force personnel.
According to the prime minister, 4,451 people have been rescued so far, including 191 people rescued from hydropower tunnels and 517 rescued through air operations on Friday. Sixteen helicopters operated by the Nepali Army and private-sector companies have conducted 99 flights, with continuing shuttle operations in Dhunche, Trishuli, Timure and Syabrubesi, he said.
The government has also dispatched 32 truckloads of food and nonfood relief supplies, as well as six helicopter flights carrying aid and communications equipment, Shah said. Search-and-rescue operations remain focused on people trapped in tunnels, including at the Upper Trishuli Hydropower Project and the Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Center.
The search operation has expanded downstream from Rasuwa through Nuwakot and Dhading to Gorkha, Tanahun, Chitwan and Nawalparasi along the Trishuli-Narayani river corridor, he said. Authorities have also rescued or identified 129 foreign tourists and other foreign nationals, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has opened an emergency control room to coordinate with embassies and families.
Shah rejected what he described as misleading claims that Nepal had refused foreign assistance. He said the government was coordinating with India, China and international partners on rescue and relief support.
The government has issued more than 200,000 SMS alerts as it monitors the risk of further flooding in the Bhotekoshi and downstream areas, Shah said. Residents in high-risk areas have been urged to move to safer locations.
He said restoration work is underway on roads, bridges, electricity, water supply and telecommunications. A temporary alternative road route has reopened Rasuwa to small four-wheeled vehicles, while the Kathmandu-Muglin highway has been reopened for one-way traffic.
The government has formally sought 10 Bailey bridges, each 48 meters long, from India and China to help restore regular road connections, Shah said. In Nuwakot, electricity service has been restored in about 90% of areas, while work continues to restore power in Dhunche.
Shah said emergency health operations centers have been activated and six hospitals placed on standby. Medical teams from Bir Hospital, the National Trauma Center and Dhulikhel Hospital have been deployed, while tents and emergency health supplies have been arranged for at least 5,000 people.
The government has provided a total of Rs. 675 million to 15 flood-affected local governments for immediate relief, rescue and emergency management, he said. More than Rs. 1.9 billion had been collected in the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund over about 36 hours, according to Shah, and the government is preparing relief, rehabilitation and business-recovery packages for affected individuals, families and businesses.
Shah said Cabinet members, including the prime minister, would contribute one month’s salary or remuneration to the disaster relief fund.