Nepal flood : 734 killed; Bhotekoshi river swells again

The water levels in the Bhotekoshi River rose again on Sunday, days after a devastating flash flood struck Nepal, authorities warned, urging residents and rescue personnel in flood-hit districts to remain alert.

The death toll from the August 26 flash floods crossed 700 on Sunday, while nearly 2,500 remain missing.

The disaster, believed to have been triggered by a collapse or avalanche of ice and rock near the Nepal-Tibet border, devastated towns and villages in central Nepal.

The Bhotekoshi River, which flows south from the Himalayan border region, carried the floodwaters downstream, sweeping away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges and damaging hydropower projects.

In a statement, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) warned that water levels in the river had risen again.

"The water level in the flooded Bhotekoshi River has risen to some extent; all concerned are urged to take precautionary measures," the NDRRMA said on Sunday.

The agency said it will provide updates on the situation after receiving additional information.

Bodies continued to be recovered in the Himalayan nation after the flash floods as search and rescue operations press ahead amid intermittent rainfall and rising water levels.

Nearly 2,500 people, including 320 foreigners, remain missing following the disaster, according to authorities. The disaster also left seven dead and more than 500 missing on the Chinese side.

The Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi on Saturday said that more than 275 Indians and 128 persons of Indian origin remained missing or non-contactable, while 108 others were rescued following the flash floods.

Meanwhile, the Nepalese government has mobilised nearly 20,000 security personnel for search and rescue operations, while helicopters have been making repeated sorties to evacuate stranded people and deliver relief supplies.

Nepal Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal on Saturday said more than 4,500 people were rescued, and search and rehabilitation operations are ongoing, even as the country remains on "high-alert".

Nepal's meteorology department on Saturday warned of fresh rainfall and thunderstorms in the country's flash flood-affected areas, threatening to disrupt ongoing rescue and relief operations amid the worsening crisis.

Transport services have been halted along the Prithvi Highway, a vital roadway linking capital city Kathmandu to Pokhara and western Nepal.

A section of the road was washed away by the Trishuli River at Krishnabhir. Officials said the highway's reopening would take some time, and urged people to use an alternative way for their travel.

Hundreds of workers are believed to be trapped in around a dozen hydropower project sites in the flood-affected areas. Nepali security forces have so far rescued 191 of them even as many still remain non-contactable.

An 11-member team from India is assisting the rescue operations of the trapped workers.

At the Trishuli hydropower project site, Nepalese security personnel, with the assistance of Indian tunnel experts, continued efforts to evacuate those trapped by locating the tunnel's entrance even after Saturday midnight despite heavy rain throughout the night, according to Nepal Army sources.

According to the NDRRMA, 242 people injured in the Bhotekoshi flash floods were admitted to different hospitals, including Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital and Bir Hospital in Kathmandu and Rasuwa District Hospital in Dhunche till Saturday evening.

Nepal's government has distributed Nepalese Rupees (NPR) 10 million in cash to affected people in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts, NPR 5 million to Dhading and NPR 67.5 million to different municipalities, according to Home Ministry sources.

So far, 37 trucks of food items and seven helicopters filled with food and non-food items have been dispatched to the affected areas. Two tonnes of food items were sent to Uttargaya and Dhunche in Rasuwa.

India has also provided 68.5 tonnes of relief materials and sent technical teams, forensic experts and equipment to assist in search and rescue operations, according to the Indian embassy.

The disaster is believed to have been triggered by a collapse or avalanche of ice and rock in the Himalayan region near the Nepal-Tibet border.