Nepal flash floods: Death toll rises to 359, 910 missing

285 Indian nationals still uncontactable, 54 rescued: MEA

GANGTOK, : The death toll from the devastating flash floods in Nepal has risen to 359, while 910 people remain missing or out of contact.

According to the latest update from Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), on Thursday, bodies have been recovered from eight districts. Chitwan recorded the highest number of casualties with 132 deaths, followed by Nawalparasi East with 82, Dhading with 33, Gorkha with 30, Nuwakot with 28, Tanahun with 22, Rasuwa with 17 and Nawalparasi West with 15. The Gorkha figure includes recovered human body parts.

Of the 910 people reported missing or out of contact, the list includes 28 Nepal Police personnel, 44 Nepal Army personnel, 13 Armed Police Force personnel, 15 Customs Office personnel and four Immigration Office personnel. Rasuwa accounts for 161 missing or out-of-contact people, while one person has been reported missing in Nuwakot. Authorities have also listed 517 foreign nationals and 127 Nepali citizens living abroad among those affected. At least 73 people have been injured.

Rescue operations have been stepped up, with 13,295 security personnel deployed in the affected areas. The force includes 7,250 Nepal Police personnel, 4,200 Nepal Army personnel and 1,845 Armed Police Force personnel. On Thursday, 716 people were rescued by helicopter through 69 rescue flights, including 50 foreign nationals, while another 756 people were rescued by land.

India has also intensified efforts to assist its citizens affected by the disaster. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said 285 Indian nationals in Nepal remain out of contact, while 54 Indians have been rescued. Those rescued include 33 workers from the Trishuli-I hydropower project and 21 people from Tamil Nadu who had travelled for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.

The MEA has established a 24x7 control room and is coordinating with Nepalese authorities to locate the missing Indian nationals. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Wednesday and expressed India’s solidarity with Nepal, offering all possible humanitarian assistance.

Several Indian nationals undertaking the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra are also stranded on the Chinese side. Earlier in the day, addressing a special media briefing on the Nepal disaster in New Delhi, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the Indian mission is in touch with the local authorities and has been making efforts for the rescue and evacuation of Indian nationals stranded on the Chinese side.

According to the MEA, around 200 Indian nationals have sought assistance, including people in Darchen, Zutulpuk, Saga and other locations.

Jaiswal said, "We have received information that a number of Indian nationals who had gone on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra are currently stranded on the Chinese side. Our Embassy in Beijing is making all efforts for their safe evacuation. There are approximately 200 Indian nationals there, who have sought our assistance for evacuation. Of them, 95 are in Darchen and currently proceeding to Hilsa to cross over into Nepal, four are in Guilin city, 30 in Zutulpuk and they are enroute to the town of Saga and 60-70 others are also heading to Saga. Our mission is in touch with local authorities and they are doing their best for their rescue and evacuation. Let me also tell you that there may be some people who are missing there and we are trying our best to locate them through the local authorities."

India has further expanded its humanitarian assistance to Nepal. On Thursday, it handed over a second consignment of 37.5 tonnes of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief material, including medicines and food packets, to support Nepal’s rescue and relief operations.

Meanwhile, the disaster has triggered a new flood threat in the Bhotekoshi River system. Nepal’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said the Lhende River had been obstructed around 18 kilometres upstream of the Rasuwagadhi border, leading to the formation of a lake covering approximately 0.11 square kilometres. The lake is continuing to rise, raising concerns about a possible outburst and another major flood downstream.