Kathmandu: The death toll from Wednesday’s tragic Bhote Koshi floods has reached 270, with bodies still being recovered from several downstream districts, Nepal Police confirmed on Thursday afternoon.
The massive flood, originating in the Tibetan region of China, swept through the transboundary Bhote Koshi River, leaving a trail of destruction in Nepal.
The highest number of bodies, 108, was recovered from Chitwan district in the southern plains, followed by 62 from Nawalparasi East, 27 from Dhading and 17 from Rasuwa, according to the police.
The Nepali government said that more than 800 people remained out of contact after the flood swept through human settlements, hydropower projects, customs offices and electricity infrastructure, among other areas.
Meanwhile, the Independent Power Producers’ Association, Nepal (IPPAN), a grouping of private-sector power developers, said that several employees working at various hydropower projects remained out of contact.
As many as 76 employees of Andritz Hydro working at the under-construction 216-MW Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project are out of contact. About half of them are Nepali, while the remaining half are foreign nationals.
Eleven employees of Nepal Water and Energy Development Company, the project developer, are also out of contact, including eight South Korean nationals working on the project.
Likewise, 51 people working at the 111-MW Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project are out of contact, while eight employees working at the powerhouse of the 5-MW Mailung Khola Hydropower Project are also out of contact.
Two employees of civil contractor Sinohydro working at the 120-MW Rasuwa Bhotekoshi Hydropower Project are missing.
Meanwhile, Nepal Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal confirmed that at least 300 Indian nationals, most of them pilgrims travelling to the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, have been reported missing following the devastating flash floods that struck the Himalayan nation.
Speaking during the NDTV World Anviksha Summit in Kathmandu, Khanal said that thousands remained untraced following the tragedy in the Rasuwa region, as authorities continued efforts to assess the scale of the destruction and trace those missing.
“Town after town were wiped out within hours,” Khanal said, adding, “Thousands of families have lost homes and are missing as of now. We are still trying to ascertain the full extent of the disaster.”
“Foreign nationals, including Indians, take the route in the affected area to the Mansarovar Yatra. Close to 300 Indians have been reported missing and the government is trying to establish contact with them,” Khanal said.
The minister said that around 500 foreign nationals in total were currently out of contact following the disaster, as rescue and relief teams continued their efforts in the affected areas.
He added that the Nepal government was in constant contact with the embassies of various countries regarding the safety and whereabouts of foreign nationals who remain missing.
(IANS)
