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At least five people remain missing after flash floods swept through central Nepal on Sunday, damaging homes and bridges, while rescuers have evacuated 95 people, including nine foreign nationals.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority confirmed the figures, according to a BBC report.
Gorkha district has been the worst affected by the flooding, which struck as people were preparing to celebrate Dashain, Nepal’s biggest and longest festival.
According to authorities, 204 houses and more than 650 people have been affected. More than 700 security personnel have been deployed to assist rescue operations, with efforts concentrated in Gorkha.
The Nepal Army has deployed four helicopters for search and rescue operations. Aerial surveys have also been conducted to assess the affected areas and provide preliminary information to disaster management authorities.
The exact cause of the flash floods has yet to be established. One theory is that a landslide temporarily blocked the Budhi Gandaki River or one of its tributaries, causing water to accumulate before the blockage gave way and triggered a sudden surge downstream.
Another possibility is a glacial collapse that sent a debris-laden flow into the river. However, experts have been unable to confirm either explanation, partly because thick cloud cover has hampered satellite observations.
Aerial assessments by the Nepal Army have also pointed to the possibility of a landslide blocking the river upstream, but the theory remains unconfirmed.
The latest flooding comes just two months after severe floods and landslides struck several areas near Nepal’s border with Tibet. That disaster destroyed thousands of homes, damaged critical fuel infrastructure and left many people dead or missing.
As Nepal continues to recover from the earlier disaster, the latest floods have placed additional pressure on its emergency response efforts. Search operations for the missing remain underway.
Source : BBC
