Kathmandu, Aug. 29 -- The death toll from the devastating flash floods in central Nepal rose to 669 on Saturday as rescue teams continued recovering bodies from the affected areas, while more than 2,400 people remained missing.
Bodies have been recovered from all eight affected districts as search and rescue operations continued on a war footing. According to Nepal Police, 248 bodies were recovered from Chitawan, 158 from Nawalparasi East, 75 from Nawalparasi West and 54 from Gorkha. Another 49 bodies were recovered from Dhading, 41 from Nuwakot, 31 from Tanahu and 13 from Rasuwa.
The disaster struck on Wednesday after an ice-rock avalanche triggered by a glacial collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border sent a massive torrent of water, mud and debris downstream. The floods swept through the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river corridors, destroying towns and villages, damaging roads and bridges and severely affecting hydropower infrastructure.
Nearly 2,500 people, including 163 foreigners, have been evacuated as rescue teams race against time amid intermittent rainfall in the flood-affected regions. More than 11,000 security personnel, including over 5,000 Nepal Army personnel, have been deployed for search and rescue operations.
Amid the extensive damage, an 11-member Indian team has also arrived in Nepal to assist in rescuing workers believed to be trapped inside a hydropower project tunnel in the Trishuli area of Nuwakot district. The team, which includes medical personnel and tunnel-rescue specialists, arrived in Nepal on Friday and began rescue-related work after conducting an aerial survey of the Chilime and Langtang areas.
Based on the Indian team's recommendations, a specialised rescue team equipped for tunnel operations was expected to reach Nepal on Saturday night. An 82-member joint security team comprising personnel from the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police has been working since Friday night to clear debris and reach those believed to be trapped inside the tunnel.
Rescue operations have been hampered by mud and debris blocking the tunnel entrance as well as adverse weather conditions. Nepali security forces have so far rescued 191 workers from tunnels at various hydropower projects, according to the Nepal Army. However, reports of more workers being trapped have prompted authorities to seek additional assistance from India.
A large number of workers remain unaccounted for, with many believed to be trapped inside tunnels associated with the Upper Trishuli-1 and Trishuli-3A hydropower projects in Rasuwa district near the Nepal-Tibet border. Rescue operations are continuing in the area.
The scale of the disaster has also prompted Nepal to seek foreign expertise for DNA testing, forensic work and other specialised tasks to help identify victims. The government has further requested assistance from India and China to construct 42 Bailey bridges in flood-hit areas to restore transport connectivity.
Bailey bridges are portable structures that can be assembled quickly without the need for heavy machinery or specialised tools, making them suitable for restoring road links in areas where existing bridges have been destroyed or damaged.
As rescue and recovery efforts continue, authorities remain focused on locating missing people, recovering bodies and restoring critical infrastructure across the flood-affected regions.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.