Nepal Flood Leaves 626 Confirmed Dead; Number of Missing Rises to 2,426
Nepali Army personnel conduct rescue operations in flood-affected areas following flooding of the Bhote Koshi River in Nepal. Photo: Nepali Army
More than 2,400 people remain unaccounted for after catastrophic flooding in the Bhote Koshi River in Rasuwa district, while rescue, relief and medical operations have intensified across affected areas, Nepal’s disaster management authority said.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said 2,426 people were still out of contact in its latest update. The number includes 933 workers at hydropower projects, 517 foreign nationals, 562 residents of Rasuwa and 115 residents of neighboring Nuwakot district.
Authorities have confirmed the recovery of 626 bodies, including human remains, from several flood-affected districts. Chitwan has recorded the highest number of deaths, with 233 bodies recovered, followed by Nawalparasi East with 158, according to the authority.
Search and rescue operations are continuing in affected areas. Officials said 4,451 people have been rescued so far, including 191 evacuated from hydropower tunnels and 517 airlifted by helicopter and other aircraft.
At least 101 injured people are receiving hospital treatment, and surgical medical teams have been deployed to support emergency care, officials said.
The Nepal government has released relief funds of 10 million Nepalese rupees each for Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts and 5 million rupees for Dhading district. It also has allocated 67.5 million rupees for 15 local governments affected by the disaster.
Authorities said 37 truckloads of food supplies and seven relief flights have been dispatched to affected communities.
Nepal Police said it has deployed 4,811 personnel for rescue and response operations in disaster-hit areas. Twenty-seven police officers involved in the operation remain out of contact, police said.
Police teams have rescued or assisted 2,301 people, including 676 from Rasuwa, 1,622 from Nuwakot and three from Dhading.
The police said 140 injured people have either been treated or discharged from hospitals in the Kathmandu Valley.
In its district-by-district tally, Nepal Police said 616 bodies have been recovered: 233 in Chitwan, 158 in Nawalparasi East, 48 in Gorkha, 47 in Nawalparasi West, 45 in Dhading, 41 in Nuwakot, 31 in Tanahun and 13 in Rasuwa.
The varying death-toll figures reflect separate updates from the disaster authority and police, which may account differently for bodies and human remains recovered during the operation.
The Nepali Army said it had continued search, rescue, emergency treatment and relief-distribution operations as of 8 a.m. Saturday.
About 6,700 soldiers have been deployed for search and rescue missions, medical care and the delivery of relief supplies, the army said.
Army helicopters have airlifted 2,265 people, including 163 foreign nationals, while ground teams have rescued another 200 people, according to the military.
The army also said its emergency medical centers had provided treatment to 1,706 injured people.