At least 95 people have been killed and hundreds are missing after a huge flash flood swept away villages in Nepal, damaging roads, bridges and power projects in areas near Tibet, authorities said.
Officials in Nepal said at least 384 tourists, including 291 from countries including the United Kingdom, the United States, India and Malaysia were reported missing as a result of the flash flood on Wednesday.
“So far 95 deaths have been reported,” police spokesman Abi Narayan Kafle said, adding that 28 police personnel were also missing.
The waters were too high for helicopters to land in Nepal’s affected areas of Syapru Besi and Timure in the mountainous district of Rasuwa, with a population of about 50,000, officials said.
District administrator Narendra Pariyar urged those living on the banks of the Bhote Koshi River in the area to seek higher ground, pointing to reports that nearby villages and infrastructure project sites were washed away.
“We have asked both India and China to help us with the rescue efforts,” said Sasmit Pokharel, a Nepali government spokesperson.
Across the border, Tibet reported “major casualties” with people missing in the neighbouring county of Gyirong after a mudslide hit a land crossing between China and Nepal, the Xinhua official news agency said.
The mudslide hit China’s Gyirong port, cutting off roads, communications and power in the Shigatse region, Xinhua added, without giving details.
Credit: aljazeera.com
