Nine killed in flash floods in Nepal and Tibet as widespread damage feared
Photo: Reuters
At least nine people were killed in powerful flash floods in the Himalayan border areas of Nepal and China’s Tibet on Wednesday. Roads, bridges and power projects were destroyed by the floods. Authorities in both countries are preparing for more casualties and widespread damage.
In Nepal, homes and roads were swept away. In Tibet, officials said several people were missing after a landslide damaged a border crossing route in Gyirong County near the border between the two countries. They fear there could be a “large loss of life” there.
Rescue helicopters were unable to land in the mountainous areas of Syapru Besi and Timure in Rasuwa district, where about 50,000 people live, officials said. River water was flowing above its normal level.
Television footage showed homes collapsing in floodwaters, vehicles being swept away and a metal bridge being carried away by the force of the water. Witnesses told Reuters that floodwaters had engulfed entire villages.
District Administrator Narendra Pariyar said, “There could be a large loss of life or property damage.” He urged residents living along the banks of the Bhote Koshi River to move to higher ground after reports that villages and various project areas had been flooded.
Tula Bahadur Biki, a health worker in Rasuwa, told Reuters, “Everywhere I look, there is destruction. Settlements along the river have been completely swept away. Five of my own relatives are missing.”
Nepal Army spokesman Raja Ram Basnet said rescue helicopters would not be able to land in the affected areas until the water level recedes.
The cause of the sudden rise in floodwaters was not immediately known. However, the same river experienced a devastating flash flood last year. It was later found that the flood was caused by water escaping from a glacial lake.
Source: Reuters (Adapted)
