India, Aug. 28 -- The administration has sounded a high alert in Maharajganj and Kushinagar districts of Uttar Pradesh, while stepping up the monitoring of the Gandak and other water bodies downstream of rivers in Nepal, following devastating flash floods in the neighbouring country that have killed at least 177 people and left thousands missing.

The administration in Uttar Pradesh, which shares its northern borders with Nepal, has said its focus is on continuous river monitoring, alerting vulnerable villages and keeping relief-and-rescue teams ready for any possible flood situation.

The Nepal floods triggered after an ice-rock landslide blocked a river near the country's border with China. The floods have affected several districts and...