Nepal floods: Army called in for search and rescue efforts
At least 157 people have been killed in flash floods in Nepal's mountainous Rasuwa region, bordering China, with nearly 400 people missing, including many foreign tourists. Search and rescue operations are ongoing in the area.
The army is being deployed in search and rescue operations after floods hit Nepal. According to Nepalese police on August 26, the death toll from the natural disaster has reached at least 157.
Earlier, 384 people were reported missing, including 290 foreigners. Later, the Nepalese Ministry of Tourism put the number of missing foreign nationals at 341. The dpa agency, citing the national tourism organization Nepal Tourism, reported that rescuers are also searching for tourists from Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, the United States, Australia, Great Britain and other countries. The largest number of missing foreign tourists is Indian.
Nepalese police said that 26 police officers were among those missing on the border with China's Tibet region. Officials said that the final number of dead and injured, as well as the total extent of the damage caused by the natural disaster, would be determined later.
The exact cause of the flood is still unclear. According to dpa, the possibility that the natural disaster was caused by the sudden bursting of a glacial lake is also being considered. The flood occurred after a sharp rise in the water level of the Bhote Koshi River, which originates in Tibet and flows through Nepal's Bagmati Pradesh province.
The settlements located along the river, in particular Timure and Syaprubesi, were among the areas most affected by the natural disaster. Water flooded market areas and residential areas. Police stations and hydroelectric power facilities were severely damaged, and bridges and roads were destroyed.
Search and rescue operations are ongoing at the scene. The regional branch of the Red Cross has sent an emergency aid team with humanitarian supplies to the Rasuwa region. Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Sahak said the country's army and security services would also be involved in the rescue operations.
The disaster has also had serious consequences on the Chinese side. According to China's state news agency Xinhua, a large number of deaths, injuries and missing people were reported at the checkpoint of the same name in Girong County, southwest China, after a landslide that occurred on the morning of August 26.