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| Flash Floods Hit Nepal After Ice and Rock Avalanche, Leaving Eight Dead and Hundreds Missing |
Flash Floods Hit Nepal After Ice and Rock Avalanche, Leaving Eight Dead and Hundreds Missing
An avalanche of ice and rocks triggered severe flash floods in Nepal on Wednesday, killing at least eight people and leaving hundreds missing as the disaster caused extensive damage to villages and critical infrastructure. Read original
Officials said 384 tourists were reported missing, including 291 foreign nationals from countries such as India, the United States, the United Kingdom and Malaysia.
The Bhotekoshi River overflowed at about 9 a.m. local time on Wednesday, August 26, sweeping through communities and damaging roads, villages and hydropower facilities.
Nepali government spokesperson Sasmit Pokharel said authorities had requested assistance from both India and China to support rescue operations.
Nuwakot district was among the worst-hit areas, with large quantities of mud burying dozens of multi-storey buildings as well as trucks and vans.
Authorities issued warnings across several districts and urged residents to stay away from the banks of the Bhotekoshi, Trishuli and Narayani rivers because of the continuing flood threat.
Officials from Nepal's tourism sector said many of those missing were believed to be Indian nationals and members of the Indian diaspora travelling on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, which is considered sacred by Hindus.
South Korean officials also reported that some of their citizens working on a hydropower project in Nepal were among those missing.
Meanwhile, Malaysia's Foreign Ministry said its embassy in Kathmandu had received information from travel agencies that they had lost contact with 11 Malaysian nationals believed to be in the Rasuwa district, one of the areas badly affected by the flooding.
Rescue teams were continuing efforts to locate missing people and assess the full extent of the damage as authorities warned that the situation could develop further.
