KATHMANDU — Flash floods in Nepal's northern Himalayan region bordering Tibet have left nearly 500 people dead and more than 1,000 missing as of Friday, August 28. The devastation struck Wednesday, August 26, when a wall of water, ice, and mud surged downstream along the Bhotekoshi River.
The full scale of the disaster remains unknown, with both the death and missing tolls expected to rise. The floods caused maximum damage to the towns of Timure, Rasuwagadhi, and Syabrubesi in the higher Rasuwa region, located near Tibetan border checkpoints.
Further downstream, floodwaters washed away buildings, electric poles, bridges, markets, homes, and vehicles in the Trishuli and Nuwakot regions. The usually bustling Trishuli market is now covered in mud, sludge, and debris.
Thousands of families are searching for relatives. Loknath Chaulagain is looking for his 23-year-old nephew Sudarshan, a bus conductor, who was waiting at a checkpoint in Timure when the flood hit. His family called his number at 9:54 AM local time after the flood began, but he did not answer. His phone has been unreachable since.
Chaulagain's family has searched near the flood-affected areas and extended their hunt to hospitals in Kathmandu, where some survivors were transported. Their efforts have not yet yielded results.
At Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu, concerned individuals posted photographs and contact details of missing relatives on walls. Hospital pillars display lists of admitted patients, those in critical condition, and those confirmed dead. The lists include five-year-old Ishara Tamang, in pediatric surgery; 30-year-old Tej Bhadur Tamang, in the ICU; and 25-year-old Kusal Magar, listed as dead. Sohan, a young man at the hospital, is searching for his 42-year-old father, Gyan Bahadur Rana Maga.
Helicopters flew non-stop Wednesday and Thursday in affected areas, extracting people trapped under rubble and locating individuals swept away and stranded. Survivors with lighter injuries receive medical attention at an army camp helipad medical unit. Those with severe injuries are airlifted to larger Kathmandu facilities for advanced care.
Locals, including Indian residents who have lived in the Trishuli area for years, are pleading with relief workers for assistance. They seek transport via earthmovers to their destroyed homes to retrieve any remaining belongings from the debris.
