Around 100 Nepalese nationals missing after border floods, foreign ministry says

Around 100 Nepalese nationals remain missing after devastating flash floods originating near the Nepal-Tibet border, Nepal’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lok Bahadur Chhetri said on Wednesday.

More than 1,200 people have died and over 4,875 remain unaccounted for a week after the disaster swept through several towns and villages across northern and central Nepal.

Addressing a press briefing, Chhetri said at least 19 bodies swept away by the Bhotekoshi river in Rasuwa district had been recovered in India.

The bodies were reportedly carried by the current from the Bhotekoshi into the Trishuli and Narayani rivers before crossing the border. They were found near Indian areas adjoining Nepal’s Rupandehi and Nawalparasi West districts and are being handed over to Nepalese authorities.

Chhetri said around 100 Nepalese citizens who had been in Tibet at the time of the floods remained missing.

About 3,000 Nepalese nationals who had travelled to Tibet for pilgrimage and business were stranded following the disaster. More than 2,500 have since returned through the Hilsa and Tatopani border crossings or by air, he said.

The spokesperson added that around 1,500 Nepalese nationals were still stranded at the Kerung border point. Officials from Nepal and China were discussing arrangements for their safe evacuation.

The flash floods were triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on 26 August. The resulting surge of water devastated settlements across large parts of northern and central Nepal, causing widespread destruction and leaving thousands of people missing.

With IANS inputs