Nepal floods: Nine dead, rescue efforts continue

Kathmandu

Rescue teams in Nepal are working hard to help people stranded after deadly flash floods hit Rasuwa district, killing nine and leaving around 20 missing. The floods were triggered by monsoon rains and the bursting of a glacier lake near the Nepal-China border.

Arjun Paudel, chief district officer of Rasuwa, said that over 150 people, including 127 foreign nationals, were rescued and airlifted to Kathmandu. However, damaged electricity and phone lines have made rescue work difficult. Limited communication is being maintained through the Chinese border, and efforts are ongoing to restore services.

Among those missing are six Chinese nationals and two Nepalese police officers. The floods also washed away the "Friendship Bridge," a key link to China, and damaged the Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Plant and Dry Port near the border.

Eight of the nine victims’ bodies have been brought to Kathmandu for postmortem. One body has already been handed over to the family.

Nepal’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology explained that the flood was likely caused by the sudden bursting of a supraglacial lake located 36 km north of the border at an altitude of around 5,150 meters in China. The lake’s area decreased from 0.74 to 0.60 square kilometers, releasing a large amount of water into the Lhende Stream.

Experts noted there was not enough rainfall on either side of the border before the disaster. Further details are awaited from China and future satellite images.