Nepal floods crisis: 177 dead, more than 800 missing as 21 Indians rescued

Nepal’s devastating flash floods have killed 177 people and left 826 missing, authorities said on Thursday. Rescue teams are searching areas hit by the Bhote Koshi River, while 21 Indian nationals were among 116 people safely evacuated from Timure. The disaster has damaged homes, hydropower projects, roads and key infrastructure across several districts. The flood originated in the Tibetan region of China and swept through the transboundary Bhote Koshi River system. It caused major destruction in Nepal, affecting settlements, hydropower projects, customs offices and electricity infrastructure. Authorities recovered bodies from riverbanks in several districts along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river systems. The affected areas include Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Chitwan, Gorkha, Tanahun, Nawalparasi East and Nawalparasi West. Most of the recovered bodies were found in Chitwan in Nepal’s southern plains, according to Nepal Police. Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah said the Nepali Army carried out an early morning rescue operation in Timure, one of the worst-hit areas. In a social media post, Shah said: “the Nepali Army carried out a rescue operation early Thursday, safely evacuating 95 Nepali citizens and 21 Indian nationals from Timure, one of the areas worst affected by the flood.” The rescue of the 21 Indian nationals comes as authorities continue searches for hundreds of people who remain out of contact after the Rasuwa flood disaster. According to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, 826 people remained out of contact by Thursday morning. Of these, 579 were tourists, although the authority did not clarify their nationality or whether they were domestic or foreign visitors. The missing also include security personnel working in areas affected by the floods. Forty-eight Nepali Army personnel, 28 Nepal Police personnel and 13 Armed Police Force personnel remained out of contact. Another 162 people from Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts were also listed as out of contact. Prime Minister Balendra Shah travelled to flood-hit Bidur Municipality in Nuwakot district on Thursday morning to inspect the damage. Shah and the Infrastructure Development Minister are expected to assess damage to infrastructure and meet local officials, security agencies and elected representatives. The meetings will focus on relief, rehabilitation and restoring services affected by the floods. The Prime Minister’s Office said instructions would also be issued to speed up relief work and reconstruction in the affected areas. Rescue teams continued operations from early Thursday as authorities searched for people still out of contact. The scale of the Nepal flash floods has created major challenges for rescue teams, with damage reported across settlements and critical infrastructure. Authorities are continuing efforts to locate missing people, recover bodies and provide relief to communities affected by the Bhote Koshi River flooding. Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in india news and world news on Zee News.