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Flash flood hits Nepal’s villages, washes away roads and bridges; 8 killed
The disaster also affected areas across the border in Tibet, where a mudslide struck a land crossing between China and Nepal.
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Nepal deployed helicopters for rescue operations on Wednesday after a powerful flash flood swept through villages in the Himalayan nation, killing eight people and damaging roads, bridges and power projects near the Tibet border, authorities said.
The disaster also affected areas across the border in Tibet, where a mudslide struck a land crossing between China and Nepal. China’s official Xinhua news agency reported “major casualties” and said some people were missing in the neighbouring county of Gyirong.
Helicopters unable to land in flood-hit areas
In Nepal, rescue efforts were complicated by high water levels in Syapru Besi and Timure in the mountainous Rasuwa district, which has a population of about 50,000. Officials said helicopters could not land in the affected areas until the floodwaters receded, Reuters reported.
District administrator Narendra Pariyar warned that the extent of the casualties and property damage was not yet known.
"There could be heavy casualties or loss of property," district administrator Narendra Pariyar told Reuters. "But I cannot say for sure now."
Pariyar asked people living along the Bhote Koshi river to move to higher ground after reports that villages and infrastructure project sites in the area had been washed away.
"It all came suddenly," the Onlinekhabar portal quoted a witness from the area as saying. "We heard a loud sound, like a volcano erupting. People started to scream and ran away."
Army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet said rescue helicopters would not be able to land in the affected locations until the water level falls.
The cause of the flooding was not immediately established. However, a deadly flash flood on the same river last year was later linked to the draining of a glacier lake.
Mudslide hits China-Nepal border crossing
The mudslide on the Nepali side also affected China’s Gyirong port, Xinhua reported. Roads, communications and power supplies were cut off in the Shigatse region near the Nepal border, although the agency did not provide further details.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “all-out” search operations for missing people and urged stronger monitoring and early warning systems to guard against secondary disasters.
430 MW power supply affected
Nepal’s energy ministry said 430 MW of electricity supplies had been affected, largely because of damage to hydroelectric projects.
The affected capacity represents more than 12% of Nepal’s total national hydropower capacity of 3.2 GW, according to a Reuters calculation.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah said police and military personnel were assisting rescue and relief teams.
"Instructions have been given ... to move the people living in the lower areas to safer places," he said. “People along the river are advised to exercise extra caution and remain alert.”
Bhote Koshi river flows into India
The Bhote Koshi river rises in Tibet before flowing into Nepal’s Trishuli river. The Trishuli eventually enters India as the Gandak river.
Last year, flooding along the Bhote Koshi killed nine people and left 24 missing. It also washed away a 'Friendship Bridge' connecting Nepal and China, disrupting trade and transport for months.
A regional climate monitor said that flood was caused by the draining of a supraglacial lake in Tibet.
(With inputs from Reuters)
