At least 19 people are feared dead and hundreds more are missing after a massive flash flood swept through parts of central Nepal on Wednesday, causing widespread damage to settlements and at least a dozen hydropower projects, officials said.
The flood surged through the Bhote Koshi River in Rasuwa district at about 09:00 local time, affecting neighbouring Dhading and Nuwakot districts.
Officials said the flooding was not caused by rainfall in Rasuwa and may have been triggered by heavy rain or an avalanche on the Tibetan side of the border. The exact cause remains unclear.
Nepal's Tourism Board said at least 105 Indians and 37 NRIs are among the nearly 400 people missing in Rasuwa district.
It also issued a toll free emergency number 1234 or hotline 1144 or tourist police 9851289445 for help.
Meanwile, PM Narendra Modi spoke to his Nepalese counterpart Balendra Shah and conveyed condolences on the loss of lives and told him that India is ready to provide all possible humanitarian assistance.
The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) has alerted all its formations along the 1,751-km India-Nepal international border following massive flash floods in the neighbouring country.
Officials said 18 teams from the force, including seven on standby, have been deployed to launch relief and rescue operations in the border areas.
India is sending relief material to Nepal on Indian Air Force planes after massive flash floods swept through northern districts in the neighbouring country on Wednesday morning, officials said.
They said a consignment of emergency assistance, including medicines and rations, will be sent to the neighbouring country as part of the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) initiative of the government.
The government is also planning to send National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescuers to initiate relief and rescue operations in the affected areas of Nepal, they said.
At least 19 people were killed in Nepal on Wednesday after a massive flood tore through the border region with Tibet, a police spokesman told AFP.
"Nineteen bodies have been recovered so far. We are intensely coordinating the rescue and relief efforts. Many in our police force are also out of contact," spokesman Abi Narayan Kafle said.
The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) has alerted all its formations along the 1,751-km India-Nepal international border following massive flash floods in the neighbouring country, officials said on Wednesday.
They said 18 teams from the force, including seven on standby, have been deployed to launch relief and rescue operations in the border areas.
The SSB alert comes amid forecasts of increased flows in the Koshi and Narayani river basins along with the possibility of flash floods in smaller rivers across Nepal, officials said.
Vulnerable districts along the Ghaghara/Karnali and Mahakali river systems in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand are also being monitored by the paramilitary force, they said.
At least 105 Indians and 37 NRIs are among the nearly 400 people missing after devastating flash floods in Nepal's Rasuwa district, bordering Tibet, swept through villages and damaged critical infrastructure.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to his Nepal counterpart Balendra Shah on Wednesday and conveyed his condolences over the loss of lives in the floods. He also assured Shah that India would provide all possible humanitarian and relief assistance.
"Spoke to Prime Minister Balendra Shah and conveyed condolences on the loss of lives due to the floods in Nepal. The people of India stand in solidarity with their sisters and brothers in Nepal at this difficult time. India is ready to provide all possible humanitarian assistance to Nepal. Our teams are coordinating closely on rescue and relief efforts," PM Modi wrote on X.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday spoke to Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on the risk of flooding in the state following torrential rains and a glacier burst in neighbouring Nepal, officials said.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is being mobilised to deal with any emergency, they said.
In a phone call with Choudhary, Shah assured all possible assistance from the Centre to deal with any potential crisis, the official said.
Bihar has been put on alert over the possibility of a sudden rise in water levels in the Gandak river following flash floods in neighbouring Nepal.
A flood wave of up to about three metres could enter the river, prompting heightened vigilance in districts along its course, the state government's Disaster Management Department said.
Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit chaired a high-level review meeting with district magistrates and senior police officials from border districts on Wednesday. Authorities were directed to complete rescue and relief preparations and closely monitor the situation.
Special vigilance has been ordered in West Champaran, East Champaran, Gopalganj, Saran, Muzaffarpur and Vaishali, as well as vulnerable districts including Sitamarhi and Sheohar.
“Officials have been asked to monitor water levels of Gandak and other rivers, embankments, low-lying areas, bridges and other vulnerable locations and alert local communities in time. A National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team will be sent to Gopalganj, while another will be kept on standby in Muzaffarpur," the department said.
Arrangements are also being made to deploy an NDRF team in Bettiah, while the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) has offered additional quick reaction team support if required.
District administrations have been told to keep evacuation plans, boats, shelters and community kitchens ready. The Water Resources Department has been asked to monitor the Gandak barrage, canals, embankments and other infrastructure.
Officials urged residents not to panic, but to remain alert, follow official advisories and avoid spreading rumours.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out efforts to search for and rescue people missing after a mudslide struck villages at the China-Nepal border area in Tibet causing heavy casualties.
A total of 145 officers and soldiers from the Xigaze detachment of the People’s Armed Police have been sent to the mudslide-hit border port to assist with emergency response operations.
China’s Tibet Autonomous Region shares a roughly 1,400-km border with Nepal. The mudslide struck near Gyirong Port on Wednesday.
Drone footage showed some buildings at the port buried by debris, Chinese official media reported.
State-run Global Times reported that the local government was dispatching personnel to the disaster-hit area, where communications were cut off.
The Chinese Embassy in Nepal activated its emergency response mechanism after a flash flood struck the Gyirong-Rasuwa border area in northern Nepal on Wednesday, the report said.
The embassy assessed the situation of Chinese citizens and enterprises in the affected area and urged the Nepalese government and relevant agencies to carry out rescue efforts. It also issued a fresh safety advisory to Chinese citizens and institutions in Nepal, the report said.
The flash flood damaged in-operation eight hydropower projects with a total capacity of 354 MW and five under construction projects located in Nuwakot and Rasuwa districts, according to a statement by Independent Power Producers' Association Nepal (IPPAN).
The major in-operation hydropower projects damaged by the floods include Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project (111 MW), Sanjen Khola Hydropower Project (78 MW) and Upper Trishuli 3A (60 MW).
Investigations are under way to determine the cause of the sudden surge, with officials examining whether it was triggered by a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) or another factor, The Himalayan Times said.
The flooding did not appear to have been caused by heavy rainfall in Rasuwa itself, according to Dinkar Kayastha, information officer at the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. It might have been caused by either formation of a new glacier or bursting of the old one, he added.
"We are still studying the matter, so the real cause is not yet known," he said and maintained that the risk of the flood from the Tibetan side has not yet vanished, so "we need to be cautious."
Rasuwa Assistant Chief District Officer Dhruva Prasad Adhikari said the scale of the flooding was unusually large and that the two settlements had suffered significant damage.
Rasuwa Chief Customs Officer Rajendra Dhungana said numerous vehicles and goods kept at the customs premises were swept away. A recently constructed bridge was also destroyed. This is a place which regulates Nepal's trade traffic connecting Tibet, China.
The Kathmandu Post quoted Chameli Gurung, deputy chair of Uttargaya Rural Municipality, who said around a dozen settlements, including Syaphrubesi, Betrawati, Mailung, Salletar, Shantibazar, Pairebesi, Khalti Basti, Sole, Trishuli and Battar, had been affected.
At least 105 Indians are among the nearly 400 persons missing after the devastating flash floods in Nepal's Rasuwa district bordering Tibet.
A sudden, massive flood swept through two central Nepal districts bordering Tibet killing four people, causing extensive devastation at settlements along the river and damaging at least a dozen hydropower projects early Wednesday.
According to a statement by Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), a total of 384 travellers, 291 foreigners and 93 Nepalese nationals, have gone missing due to the Rasuwa floods.
These travellers include 105 Indian tourists, 37 NRIs and remaining tourists from USA, Malaysia, UK, South Africa, Australia and Netherlands.
The Nepal Tourism Board also issued a toll free emergency number 1234 or hotline 1144 or tourist police 9851289445 for help.
At least eight people have died and hundreds reported missing after a sudden surge in the Bhote Koshi River caused widespread flooding in central Nepal on Wednesday. The toll is expected to rise.
The flooding began at about 09:00 local time and affected Rasuwa and Dhading districts near the Tibet border, as well as Nuwakot, south-west of Kathmandu.
The Nepal Army said vehicles, goods and other property were swept away in Timure and nearby Syafrubesi in Rasuwa, the worst-affected district. At least a dozen hydropower projects were also damaged.
Three men and a woman were found dead near the Trishuli River in Bidur Municipality, police said.
Officials said the flooding did not appear to have been caused by rainfall in Rasuwa. Heavy rain or an avalanche on the Tibetan side may have triggered the sudden rise in water, but the exact cause remains unclear.
Authorities have placed Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Chitawan and Gorkha districts on high alert as search and rescue operations continue.
At least eight people are feared dead and dozens more are missing after a massive flash flood swept through parts of central Nepal on Wednesday, causing widespread damage to settlements and at least a dozen hydropower projects, officials said.
Nepal's Tourism Board said at least 384 people, including 105 Indian nationals, had been listed as missing following the flooding.
The flood surged through the Bhote Koshi River in Rasuwa district at about 09:00 local time, affecting neighbouring Dhading and Nuwakot districts.
Officials said the flooding was not caused by rainfall in Rasuwa and may have been triggered by heavy rain or an avalanche on the Tibetan side of the border. The exact cause remains unclear.
The Nepal Tourism Board also issued a toll free emergency number 1234 or hotline 1144 or tourist police 9851289445 for help.