- Glacier collapse triggered sudden, devastating Nepal flash floods.
- Survivors lost families instantly as water swept villages.
- 270 dead, hundreds missing; search operations face challenges.
Nepal Flash Floods: Hundreds of people are missing in devastating flash floods in Nepal. The death toll rose to 270 as the search operation on a war footing is underway. The mammoth wave of water from the mountain swept away several villages and public infrastructure. According to eyewitnesses, the Bhote Koshi River, which flows through three districts of Nepal, flooded without warning from the weather department.
What Possibly Triggered The Flash Floods
Although the exact sequence of events is still unclear, officials said the flash floods began when a glacier collapse blocked the flow of the Lhende River, a tributary of the Bhote Koshi. This caused a sudden rise in water levels, and the floodwaters first hit the Timure area near Rasuwagadhi, located on Nepal's border with Tibet.
Relief And Search Operations Become Difficult
Within minutes, floodwaters surged downstream, sweeping away several settlements in Nepal's Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading districts. Large amounts of silt accumulated under homes, roads, bridges, and community spaces, complicating search and rescue operations. Videos from the area showed at least one floor of homes covered in silt.
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What Eyewitness Said On Calamity
A local merchant who runs a clothing store in Nuwakot's Trishuli Bazaar said the floods came very quickly and people didn't have much time to move to safety. "In the morning, authorities arrived and told us that the dam on the Bhote Koshi River on the Tibetan side had broken and a huge amount of water was flowing towards us. We were told to run to higher ground," the survivor said.
'People Did Not Get Time To Reach Safety'
Very few people were able to reach safety in time, as the flood swept away many people in seconds, recalled the merchant, adding that his 18-year-old son and wife were also missing.
According to eyewitnesses, the flood came without warning. There had been no rain in the area that day, and people were going about their daily routines when suddenly a massive wave of water swept over the area, he recalled.
'Ground Shaking And Smoke Billowing'
Recalling the horror, Rajendra Dhungana, the chief customs officer in Rasuwa, said he felt the ground shaking and ran outside. He saw a huge wave of water rising from above, followed by what appeared to be a cloud of smoke, moving rapidly towards Timure Bazaar. When the disaster water wave calmed, Dhungana and dozens of others fled into the nearby forest.
Giri Lal has been left with memories of his wife and four children after Wednesday's flash floods swept through Timure, a border town in Nepal's Rasuwa district. The 38-year-old was among those caught in a disaster that unfolded with such terrifying speed that, for many who witnessed it, it felt like an earthquake. The flash floods took away Lal's entire family - wife, two sons and two daughters. Lal, who drives a truck for the local waste management office, is now undergoing treatment at a state-run hospital in Kathmandu - around 160 km from Timure.
"We have been showing their pictures to people and asking if anyone has seen them," Lipa Sapkota said, standing outside the emergency section of Bharatpur Hospital with a photograph of her brother, Sabi, missing since Wednesday morning.
"There were some dead bodies, but they were not easy to identify because of their condition," Sapkota told the Setopati.com news portal. For another eyewitness, the first indication that something terrible had happened came while he was having breakfast.
"I was at home this morning. While I was eating breakfast at around 8:40 am, news came that a flood had hit Timure. I heard people saying, "Timure is completely gone, nothing is left," he told to a local news website.
"It felt like an earthquake was happening. It was impossible to figure out what was taking place. Right before our eyes, the market and the settlement were devastated," he said.
(With Jagran.com/PTI inputs)
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