The warm sunshine, the pleasant weather and the carefree life, suddenly came a powerful flood, everything was strained. High-rise buildings, important bridges and even people were stretched like toys. The horrific scene took place on the China-Nepal border. Floods from China’s Tibet were wreaking havoc in Nepal and left a trail of destruction in every village and town.
At least a dozen hydroelectric projects were also damaged by avalanche-induced flooding. The devastation is reminiscent of the 2013 floods in Uttarakhand’s Kedarnath Valley. Many districts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are on high alert due to floods in Nepal.
20 NDRF teams deployed
20 teams of NDRF have been deployed. Around 157 people have died so far, including three from China, and around 750 people are missing, including 133 Indians. Most of the missing Indians are Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrims. Chinese and Nepali officials have expressed fears that the death toll could rise and the damage could be widespread. The Bhotekoshi river flash-flooded around 9 am local time, affecting Nepal’s Rasuwa and Dhading districts along the Tibetan border the most, officials said.
Due to the rising water level of the Landi River on the Nepal-Tibet border, massive floodwaters and debris spread from Timur’s Bhotekoshi to the Trishuli River. The flood then spread to Nuwakot, Chitwan, Gorkha, Tanahun and Nawalparasi districts. Areas around 70 to 200 kilometers from the capital Kathmandu were affected.
Army and police deployed for rescue and relief operations
According to PTI, following an emergency meeting chaired by Prime Minister Balendra Shah, personnel of the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police have been deployed in the affected areas for rescue and relief operations.
The Nepali Army deployed 12 helicopters to carry out relief and rescue operations. Security forces have rescued more than 100 people trapped in various places.