Nepal floods highlights: Nearly 400 dead, over 1,400 missing

Nepal floods LIVE: Nepal authorities have revised the number of people missing after the floods to more than 800, while more than 550 people remain unaccounted for in Tibet.

Nepal floods LIVE: Naveen Srivastava, the Indian ambassador to Nepal, said nearly 300 Indians remained missing after the flash floods.

"We have not been able to make contacts with them, partly because the communication networks are down and there is no electricity," he told NDTV.

Nepal flash floods LIVE: The toll from the Bhote Koshi flood in Nepal's Rasuwa district has risen to 165, according to Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA).

The authority said the process of identifying the recovered bodies was underway.

It added that 44 Nepal Army personnel, 28 Nepal Police personnel and 13 Armed Police Force (APF) personnel deployed in the affected area and at various police posts remained missing and out of contact.

Nepal flash floods LIVE: Over 300 Indians are missing after a deadly flash flood tore through Nepal's border region with Tibet, the country's foreign minister Shishir Khanal said, reported news agency PTI.

Nepal flash floods LIVE: Nepal's disaster agency said 823 people remained out of contact on Thursday, more than 24 hours after a deadly flood swept through the border region near Tibet, news agency AFP reported.

The figure includes at least 579 tourists, comprising both Nepali and foreign nationals, the agency said in an update.

Nepal flash floods LIVE: In a statement posted on Thursday, Nepal Prime Minister's Office said, “The government has intensified search, rescue and relief operations in the areas affected by massive flood in the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa district.”

It added, “To help the civilians at risk, the Nepali Army has already delivered essential food items, tents and relief materials like medicines to the affected areas. Nepali Army and private sector helicopters, along with foot teams, have been activated in Timure and Syabrubesi and riverine areas.”

“The government has urged the residents living near river banks to be on high alert.”

Nepal flash floods LIVE: Multiple state governments and the embassy of India in Kathmandu have activated emergency helplines to help people affected by the devastating flash floods that struck Nepal's Bhotekoshi River on Wednesday.

• The Embassy of India in Nepal has issued the following helpline numbers: 977 985 131 6807, 977 970 910 7500 and 977 981 032 6117. These numbers are also available on WhatsApp.
• The Karnataka government has activated its State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) at 1070 and 080-22253707. It is also preparing a list of Karnataka residents stranded in Nepal or the Tibet Autonomous Region.
• Telangana has set up a Helpline & Coordination Centre at Telangana Bhavan in New Delhi. Families can contact Vandhana at 9871999044, Ch Chakravarthi at 9949351270 or G Rakshit Naik at 9618597969. They have been asked to provide the affected person's name, passport details, mobile number, last known location, tour operator details and family contact information.
• In West Bengal, people can contact the Kolkata Police helpline at 18003455678 or send a WhatsApp message to 9874902880. The West Bengal Police can also be reached at 033-24793311 and 9147890181.
• Uttar Pradesh residents stranded in Nepal or requiring assistance have been asked to call 1070.
• Maharashtra has activated a toll-free State Control Room at 1070. Its other contact number is 91-9321587143, while people can also write to [controlroom@maharashtra.gov.in](mailto:controlroom@maharashtra.gov.in).
• In Kerala, the helpline numbers 9447111844 and 9737132147 have been made available for those seeking assistance.
• Rajasthan's Disaster Management Department has asked families to contact its State Emergency Operation Centre at 1070 or 112. Other numbers are 0141-2851960, 0141-2385776, 0141-2385777, 0141-2227296, 0141-2927392 and 0141-2227603.
• Odisha has opened a 24x7 control room in New Delhi. It can be contacted at 011-23012807, 7428135044 and 8527580245.
• The Sikkim government has also set up a dedicated helpline for people from the state who may be stranded, affected or in urgent need of assistance in Nepal. The helpline numbers are 03592201145, 03592202461 and 03592202256.

Nepal floods LIVE: The toll from the massive flash floods in Nepal rose to 162 on Thursday, with several people, including security personnel and foreign tourists, still missing in one of the country's worst disasters in recent years, police said.

The flash floods wreaked havoc across three districts of Nepal on Wednesday.

Nepal Police said the death count from the flash flood in the Bhotekoshi River had risen to 162, a day after the disaster devastated three districts.

(Inputs from news agency PTI)

Nepal floods LIVE: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said he was “blissfully unaware” of the devastation caused by the flash floods in Nepal when he travelled to Kathmandu on Wednesday.

“Took off for Kathmandu yesterday, blissfully unaware of the drama that had taken place in the hills and caused such catastrophic damage,” Tharoor said in a post on X.

"A severe, sudden flash flood struck northern Nepal’s Rasuwa district near the Tibet border, causing widespread destruction along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers. Global warming and/or an earthquake in Tibet may have caused a large chunk of a glacier to break off and fall into the valley below, experts surmise", he wrote.

"Learned on arrival of the loss of life (now confirmed at 160 so far) and the fact that some 2000 or more people are estimated to be missing. Raging floodwaters destroyed at least 19 motorable bridges, washed away roughly 40 km of the Betrawati–Rasuwagadhi highway, and heavily damaged eight operational hydropower projects. I fully support the Indian government’s immediate pledge of relief assistance. Nepal needs all the help it can get. My heart goes out to the victims and their loved ones, who include large numbers of Indian tourists, including a hundred performing the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra. Prayers for the missing; may they be rescued soon," he further added.

Nepal floods LIVE: Officials and disaster response agencies in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Uttarakhand were put on high alert and began evacuating people from vulnerable areas in border districts after a flash flood upstream in Nepal's Bhote Koshi River in Rasuwa district killed at least 160 people and left hundreds of tourists, including 133 Indians, missing.

The flash flood, around 200 km north of the India-Nepal border, could raise river levels in Nepal-originating rivers, including the Gandak in Uttar Pradesh and parts of north Bihar.

(Inputs from Subhash Pathak, Sandeep Bhaskar)

Nepal floods LIVE: Nepal said 468 tourists and travellers, including 393 foreign nationals, remained out of contact on Thursday, 24 hours after a deadly flood swept through the border region near Tibet.

"About 468 tourists and travellers are out of contact, among them 75 are Nepalis," Suraj Ghimire, department of tourism spokesperson, told news agency AFP.

Nepal flash floods LIVE: China's state media said 558 people were missing in Tibet after floods that also left hundreds unaccounted for in neighbouring Nepal.

Of those missing in Tibet, 260 were foreign nationals, CCTV reported. The death toll remained at three, according to the report.

Nepal flash floods LIVE: Australia foreign minister Penny Wong said on Thursday that information on at least 34 of its citizens missing in Nepal following deadly floods there was "very limited".

Nepal flash floods LIVE: Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said 34 Australian nationals are missing following violent flash floods in Nepal.

The floods are a “truly horrific event,” Albanese said Thursday morning at an event in rural Australia, adding that “our thoughts are with all those who will be concerned about their loved ones today.”

“We are liaising with local authorities as well as tour operators,” a government spokesperson said in a statement Thursday. “Australians in the affected area should follow the advice of local authorities. We stand ready to provide consular assistance.”

Nepal flash floods LIVE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said he spoke to his Nepalese counterpart Balen Shah after a deadly flash flood swept through parts of Nepal, assuring him of ‘all possible humanitarian 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,” Modi said in a post on X, adding that India is coordinating ‘closely on rescue and relief efforts.’

Nepal flash floods LIVE: The US Geological Survey said on Thursday that glacial collapse triggered seismic activity and caused "catastrophic" downstream impacts in Nepal and Tibet.

The agency said the seismic activity, which was initially believed to be an earthquake, "was instead a glacial collapse and debris flow" that "caused subsequent catastrophic impacts downstream".

Early reports had suggested that an earthquake might have triggered an avalanche, leading to severe flooding in Nepal. Nepal's foreign minister Shisir Khanal mentioned this possibility in a statement, according to local media outlets.

Nepal flash floods LIVE: India has sent 10 tonnes of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) material, along with essential medicines, to Nepal as it deals with devastating floods.

In a post on X, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said India stood with Nepal and its people during this difficult time.

"Dispatched 10 tonnes of HADR assistance and essential medicines to support Nepal's response to the devastating floods. Our thoughts are with the bereaved families and all those affected. In face of this challenge, India stands with Nepal and its people," he said.

The Indian Air Force has deployed a C-130J aircraft to deliver relief supplies to Nepal. The 10 tonnes of material include emergency items such as temporary shelters, blankets, hygiene kits, solar lamps and medicines.

Nepal flash floods LIVE: The US government on Wednesday extended its condolences over the deadly floods in Nepal and promised to provide $500,000 in emergency assistance, the state department said.

"The United States extends its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in the devastating flash floods in the Rasuwa district of Nepal," the agency said, adding that Washington is deploying a disaster response advisor to the region while pledging to provide $500,000 to support rescue efforts.

Nepal flash floods LIVE: The authorities in Bihar placed several north-western districts on high alert on Wednesday after flash floods triggered by a glacial lake outburst in Tibet sent a surge down the Bhote Koshi river in Nepal, raising the prospect of a sudden rise of up to around three metres in the Gandak river downstream.

Chief minister Samrat Choudhary convened a high-level review at his official residence and directed officials to remain on high alert.

“A close watch is being kept on the possibility of a rise in water level in the Gandak in view of the floods in Nepal… If necessary, I will also visit Valmikinagar to assess the situation,” the chief minister told reporters.

(Inputs from Subhash Pathak and Sandeep Bhaskar)

Nepal flash floods LIVE: At least 157 people were killed, while hundreds, including 133 Indians, remained missing on Thursday after a flash flood swept through communities along Nepal's Bhote Koshi River near the Tibet border.