6 days ago
Nepal Floods Kill 270 as Hundreds Remain Missing
A powerful flood suddenly hit parts of Nepal on Wednesday.
Ice and rocks fell into a river and blocked it.
The blocked water then burst through as a huge wave of mud and water.
Timure, a town near the Nepal-Tibet border, was badly destroyed.
Witnesses said the disaster happened so quickly that it felt like an earthquake.
Giri Lal survived, but his wife and four children were swept away.
Rescuers found some bodies and continued searching for more than 800 missing people.
Officials said many missing people were tourists, including visitors from India.
The floods also damaged many bridges and roads.
Flash floods in central Nepal killed 270 people by Thursday, with more than 800 still missing.
An ice-rock avalanche blocked the Lhende tributary, sending a debris-filled surge down the Bhote Koshi River.
Timure in Rasuwa district was devastated before flooding spread to other areas near the Nepal-Tibet border.
Survivor Giri Lal lost his wife, two sons and two daughters and is receiving treatment in Kathmandu.
Officials said at least 579 missing people were tourists, including nearly 300 Indian tourists.
- Who
- Residents, tourists, rescuers and officials in Nepal were affected; Giri Lal lost his wife and four children.
- What
- Flash floods killed 270 people and left more than 800 missing after an ice-rock avalanche blocked a river tributary.
- Where
- The disaster began in Timure, Rasuwa district, near the Nepal-Tibet border, and spread to other parts of central Nepal.
- When
- The floods struck on Wednesday, and the reported death toll reached 270 on Thursday.
- Why
- An ice-rock avalanche and landslide-related blockage of the Lhende tributary caused a debris-filled surge down the Bhote Koshi River; the precise trigger of the blockage remains unclear.
Key facts
- Reported death toll
- 270 people by Thursday
- Missing people
- More than 800
- Missing tourists
- At least 579, according to officials
- Missing Indian tourists
- Nearly 300, according to Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal
- Infrastructure damage
- 35 motorable bridges, 45 suspension bridges and about 40 kilometers of paved roads
- Survivor account
- Giri Lal lost his wife, two sons and two daughters
- Rescue challenge
- Some recovered bodies were difficult to identify
Quotes
Madhav Prasad Chaulagain
Nepal’s former Forest and Environment Minister
“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'”
m.rediff.com
“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”
m.rediff.com
An unnamed Timure eyewitness
Eyewitness who described hearing about the flood as it struck Timure
“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’.”
deccanchronicle.com
freepressjournal.in
“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.”
deccanchronicle.com
telegraphindia.com
freepressjournal.in
Sources
Nothing is left: Eyewitnesses recall horror of Nepal floods
My Entire Family Is Gone: Nepal Flood Survivor Loses Wife, 4 Children
Eyewitnesses recall Nepal flood horror as ex-minister warns toll could rise ‘unbelievably'
'Nothing Is Left': Eyewitnesses Recall Horror Of Nepal Flash Floods That Killed 270
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