Kathmandu, Sept. 2 -- Nepal Prime Minister Balen Shah on Wednesday detailed the government's response to the devastating flash floods in Rasuwa and Nuwakot, saying rescue of people was the top priority.

"We are with the country in these difficult times. The incident took place around 8:30 AM. As soon as we got to know about the incident, we alerted our teams. A meeting was called at 9:15 AM. Helicopters were kept on standby. At 10:30 AM, our emergency rescue teams were ready to be deployed. Rescue of the people was our priority," Shah said.

He added that Army helicopters were instructed to carry out rescue operations in the affected areas. "At around 1 PM, we could establish contact with the local MP and MLA," he said.

"At around 7 PM,...