Nepal flood, landslide kills 157; over 400 missing

The floods and landslides that struck central Nepal on Wednesday have killed 157 people and left more than 403 missing.

According to reports, most of those who are missing are foreigners.

As per Nepal police, 157 bodies have been found in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Chitwan, Gorkha, Tanahun and Nawalpur. Nepal Tourism Board statistics revealed that out of 403 missing people, 341 are foreigners; among whom 133 belong to India, 47 are from America and 33 from Britain. At least 61 missing are from Nepal.

According to reports, most of the missing people were heading towards Manasarovar, near Nepal-China border.

The floods have caused damage to the infrastructure like hydropower, solar power and electricity, which have caused the generation capacity of 430 megawatt of electricity to be affected. The Nepal Army has sent helicopters and rescue teams to assist in relief efforts.

Moreover, the Chinese official broadcaster CCTV stated three dead bodies and at least 265 people are missing due to flash floods and landslides near Nepal in Tibet. The President of China, Xi Jinping has asked to carry out an all-out rescue operation.

So far, the reason for the flooding in Nepal is unknown. However, according to the officials, it started a few minutes after a magnitude 4.4 earthquake took place in the Tibet region. Moreover, experts also claim that the climate change is increasing the extreme weather incidents in South Asia.

There is also warning from the authorities for another flood, as there are blockages in the rivers near Nepal-China border.

-AJM