Flash flood sweeps northern Nepal, washes away villages near Tibet border
A sudden and massive flash flood swept through northern Nepal on Wednesday morning, washing away villages and damaging roads, bridges and power projects in a region bordering Tibet, officials said.
The flood surged through the Bhote Koshi River at around 9 am local time, reportedly coming from the direction of Tibet, PTI reported. The areas of Timure and Syafrubesi in Rasuwa district, with a population of about 50,000, were severely affected, authorities said.
Rasuwa lies in the north-east of Kathmandu, about 125 km from the Tibet border. Vehicles, goods and other property were washed away in the two settlements, the Nepal Army said in a statement.
"We do not exactly know the extent of damage, but the flood is big, and it could have damaged many settlements," Nepal police spokesman Abi Narayan Kafle said. "We have alerted people who are staying near the riverside to relocate and deployed all our resources," Reuters reported.
Officials urged those living on the banks of the Bhote Koshi to seek higher ground. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority has asked residents along river banks in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Chitawan and Gorkha to remain on high alert, PTI reported.
The flood damaged about 430 MW of power generation capacity, including hydropower and solar facilities, the Nepal Electricity Authority said. The disaster has damaged the production, transmission and distribution facilities, resulting in disruption of electricity supply, Reuters reported.
Nepal's Water Resources Ministry said hydroelectric projects were among the infrastructure damaged, along with roads and bridges. Several highways were closed, authorities said.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah convened an emergency meeting of the disaster management authority to take stock of the situation. Rescue and relief teams, police and the military have been dispatched, he said.
The Nepal Army has deployed two helicopters near the Trishuli River for search and rescue. An MI-17 helicopter equipped with an emergency medical rescue team has been mobilised towards the district hospital in Trishuli, the army said.
Rasuwa Assistant Chief District Officer Dhruva Prasad Adhikari said the scale of the flooding was unusually large. Rasuwa Chief Customs Officer Rajendra Dhungana said vehicles and goods at the customs premises were swept away. A recently constructed bridge was also destroyed, PTI reported.
The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said Wednesday's flooding was not caused by rainfall in Rasuwa. The reason for the inundation was not immediately clear.
The Bhote Koshi originates in Tibet and empties into Nepal's Trishuli River, which flows into India as the Gandak River. Last year, a flood on the same river killed nine people, with 24 missing, Reuters reported. The flood also washed away the Friendship Bridge linking Nepal and China, disrupting transport and trade for months. That flood was triggered by the draining of a supraglacial lake in Tibet, a regional climate monitor said.
(With inputs from PTI)
