Nepal-Tibet floods kill at least 359

DEVIGHAT, Aug 27: Police in Nepal said Thursday that the death toll in the flash floods that hit communities along the Nepal-Tibet border a day earlier has risen to 359, according to agencies.

Rescue teams were searching for hundreds of people after the disaster, which has left more than 1,400 are missing, including scores of foreigners and pilgrims. Hundreds others have been displaced across the Himalayan region.

Rescue teams searched Thursday for hundreds of missing people along the Nepal-Tibet border after the collapse of a glacier sent a deadly wall of water and mud several stories high tearing through communities a day earlier.

Videos of the disaster showed people running before the floodwaters swallowed them up and washed out buildings and bridges. At least 359 people were killed, more than 1,400 are missing, including foreigners and pilgrims, and hundreds have been displaced across the Himalayan region.

The steep slopes and the lush valleys below the Himalayan mountain range - home to many of the world's highest peaks and remaining glaciers - are especially vulnerable to flooding and landslides. Melting glaciers have become more common because of human-caused climate change.

Nirajan Paudyal, a journalist based in Nepal's capital of Kathmandu, worried for his parents and other relatives who live in the small village of Soley in the district.

"There is no update till now. I fear there won't be any update," Paudyal said.

Nepalese officials said that dozens of bridges were destroyed and nearly 40 kilometers (25 miles) of roads were damaged, complicating search efforts.

The Nepalese army has rescued more than 100 people from flood-affected areas through helicopter operations, army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet said. Army teams also evacuated people trapped inside facilities linked to the Trishuli hydropower project, he added.

Dozens of injured people have been transported to Kathmandu for advanced medical care.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that 260 of the 558 missing people were foreigners. In addition, nearly 100 Chinese citizens were missing on the Nepal side, China's foreign ministry said.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said that 55 Ukrainians are missing. The number includes two tourist groups of 47 and seven people, in addition to one Ukrainian woman traveling with a foreign tour group, the ministry said.

South Korean government officials said nine citizens working on building a hydropower plant in Nepal were missing.
Japanese Prime Minister SanaeTakaichi expressed worry about five Japanese nationals whom local media reported were missing.

Nepal's tourism board said 179 of those missing were from India. Officials said most were on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred site for Hindus.

The board said 65 from the United States, 51 Malaysians, 35 Australians, 33 Britain, 25 from Canada, Eight Singaporeans, eight tourists from Germany, eight Russians, six South Africans, six tourists from Latvia, Five people from New Zealand, four French citizens, three from Belgium, three from Spain were missing.

The board said two people each from Italy, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Ireland and Netherlands were missing. It said 10 others - one each from Belarus, Finland, Hungary, Israel, Lithuania, Philippines, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Serbia and Sweden - were also missing.

Meanwhile bdnews24 adds: Bangladesh President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has expressed his deep condolences for the widespread flooding and landslides that have killed over 359 in the Nepal-Tibet border area.

The president expressed his sincere shock over the massive loss of life and destruction caused by a glacier, sending his heartfelt commiserations to the families of the victims, the Bangabhaban said in a press release on Thursday.

Nepal's tourism ministry said about 1,500 tourists, including 800 foreign nationals, have been missing since the incident on Wednesday.

Rescue workers have continued their hunt for the missing on Thursday.

The disaster occurred in a mountainous area popular for trekking and pilgrimages. Reuters reported, citing Nepal police, that 165 bodies had been recovered as of Thursday morning.

The police statement said that 64 of the bodies recovered were found in the low-lying Chitwan District. In addition, 26 more bodies were recovered from eastern Nawalparasi District.

The flash flood occurred on Wednesday morning in the mountainous Bhotekoshi River in northern Nepal. It caused extensive damage in a large area of the Rasuwa District near the Tibetan border.

Video footage shows people being swept away by the torrential flow of mud, rocks and water in the border area. Officials in both Nepal and China fear that the death toll could jump significantly.- bdnews24

Meanwhile, at the opening of the session, Parliament expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives and destruction caused by devastating floods and landslides in Nepal.

The House also adopted condolence motions over the deaths of former acting President and Speaker Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar, 11 former MPs and several prominent personalities, including artist Mustafa Monwar, political thinker and researcher Professor Abul Quasem Fazlul Huq, and educationist Dr Makbul Hossain.

Lawmakers observed a minute's silence after unanimously adopting the motions. Religious Affairs Minister Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaykobad later led a doa for the departed.

Meanwhile Diplomatic Correspondent adds: As devastating floods and landslides in Nepal have killed at least 165 people and left more than 1,500 missing, Bangladesh Embassy in Kathmandu on Thursday said that Bangladeshi tourists in the country are safe, with no Bangladeshi casualties reported so far.

Md Showeb Abdullah, counsellor at the embassy in Kathmandu, told the media that the embassy had received no reports of Bangladeshi casualties.

He said the situation remains normal in major tourist destinations, including Kathmandu, Pokhara and Nagarkot. However, several Bangladeshi tourists travelling from Pokhara to Kathmandu were temporarily stranded after a highway was closed amid concerns over the flash floods.

The reassurance came as Nepal continued to grapple with the aftermath of floods and landslides, disrupting transportation and damaged key road links in parts of the country.

Speaking about the latest situation of Bangladeshi nationals, counsellor said the worst-affected areas were mainly along the route to Kailash and Manasarovar, which Bangladeshi tourists do not generally take.

"We are in regular contact with the Nepalese authorities and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to the information available so far, there are no Bangladeshis among the casualties," he said.

He added that Bangladeshi tourists generally do not travel through the area where the latest disaster occurred.
Yet, the adverse weather conditions temporarily disrupted the journeys of several Bangladeshi visitors.

According to the counsellor, several Bangladeshi tourists contacted the embassy on Wednesday while travelling from Pokhara to Kathmandu after the highway was closed as a precautionary measure.

"They were stranded for around six to seven hours. Thousands of passengers, including Bangladeshis, were stranded there," he said.

The situation eased after the road was reopened, allowing the stranded passengers to continue their journey.
Bangladeshi tourists subsequently reached Kathmandu safely on Thursday morning, he said.

The incident occurred upstream of the Trishuli River, where a large volume of water travelled nearly 40 miles before reaching the river, according to Showeb Abdullah.

The Nepalese government has said the force of the water extensively damaged the highway in the affected area.
The counsellor, however, said the Kathmandu-Pokhara Highway had not been damaged.

Embassy said it was continuing to stay in contact with the Nepalese authorities and monitor the situation involving Bangladeshi nationals in Nepal. 

The embassy's assessment so far is that Bangladeshi tourists remain safe, although Nepal continues to grapple with the severe impact of floods and landslides.