Nepal flash flood kills 8, sweeps away villages, hits hydropower projects, 9 personnel missing: What we know so far

A flash flood swept through Nepal's Rasuwa district early Wednesday, killing eight people and damaging settlements and infrastructure along the Bhotekoshi river, according to a report by Reuters.

Nine Armed Police Force personnel are also missing after the flood reached Timure near the Nepal-China border, while rescue teams have been deployed across the affected areas.

Chameli Gurung, deputy chair of Uttargaya Rural Municipality, said around a dozen settlements had been affected. These include Syaphrubesi, Betrawati, Mailung, Salletar, Shantibazar, Pairebesi, Khalti Basti, Sole, Trishuli and Battar.

Market areas, particularly Syaphrubesi, appear to have suffered some of the heaviest damage. Photographs and videos from the area show damage to buildings and other infrastructure.

The flood also damaged the Area Police Office in Timure, the police post in Syaphrubesi and the police post at Rasuwagadhi, Nepal Police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle said.

Don't Miss:‘No third party involved; we didn’t leak ceasefire details to US’: Ex-CDS Anil Chauhan on Op Sindoor

Two army helicopters deployed

The government has sent two Nepali Army helicopters to support search-and-rescue operations.

The Nepali Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police have also been mobilised, with additional personnel being brought in from other districts, Prime Minister Balendra Shah said.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority has been activated. Medical teams, Scouts and the Red Cross have been asked to coordinate relief efforts, while more ambulances and medical personnel are being sent to the affected areas.

Shah has also called a meeting to review the flooding and the government's response. An emergency meeting is under way at the Home Ministry.

Flood moves downstream

Nepal's Flood Forecasting Division said the flood entered the Bhotekoshi from the Tibet side of the border and had reached Galchhi in Dhading by Wednesday afternoon.

It was expected to reach Muglin within hours. Authorities warned people living along the Trishuli river to move away from vulnerable settlements and market areas and seek higher ground.

The flooding could also affect traffic along the Prithvi Highway and the Muglin-Narayanghat road.

Heavy rain reported on Tibetan side

The exact time the flood began and what triggered it have not yet been confirmed.

Must Read: Meta teen addiction trial: Instagram head says few teens knew safety tools; States to explore settlement

Sanjeev Adhikari, a meteorologist with the Flood Forecasting Division, said the flooding did not appear to have been caused by heavy rainfall in Rasuwa itself.

Satellite imagery showed significant rainfall on the Tibetan side of the border, he told Kantipur.