Nepal Warns of New Flooding as Death Toll Surpasses 800
Authorities in Nepal issued urgent flood warning notifications to mobile phones early Sunday morning, advising residents in high-risk districts to remain on high alert following a sudden rise in the water level of the Bhotekoshi River. The fresh alerts arrive as rescue crews race to clear blockages along the Prithivi Highway, a crucial supply route connecting Kathmandu to regions devastated by flash floods that struck the Himalayan region on Wednesday.
Urgent Mobile Alerts Triggered as Bhotekoshi River Rises
Upstream Monitoring Intensifies Following Chinese Warnings
According to Dharam Raj Uprety, chief executive of Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, the renewed warnings were triggered after Chinese authorities informed their Nepalese counterparts of increased water flow upstream. Chinese state media, citing the Ministry of Water Resources, reported that a new lake formed high in the mountains during Wednesday’s disaster had largely drained. However, the ministry cautioned that a crater located 5.6 kilometers, or 3.5 miles, upstream still held an estimated 1.4 million cubic meters of water, posing a continuing risk that requires close monitoring.
Death Toll Climbs Past 800 Across Nepal and Tibet
Nepal’s disaster agency reported 788 deaths and 2,502 missing persons, while Chinese authorities confirmed 16 deaths and 546 missing on the northern side of the border. Among the missing are hundreds of foreign nationals from over a dozen countries who were working, visiting the mountains, or making pilgrimages to sacred peaks. Chinese state media noted that 261 foreigners remain unaccounted for in Tibet, including more than one hundred Nepalis alongside international travelers.
Residents Return to Mud and Damaged Infrastructure
In Dhading, one of the hardest-hit areas in Nepal, residents returned to heavily damaged properties to salvage belongings from thick, gray-brown mud and rubble. Sharmila Tamang, a local resident whose home was destroyed, told The Associated Press that nothing remained of her property. Workers at a heavily damaged regional power plant—a facility providing electricity to more than 20,000 people across four districts—began inspecting structural damages on Sunday. Meanwhile, homes and businesses left standing across flood zones remained without power as tangled wires and downed utility poles rested in the sediment.
Stranded Communities Face Recurring Emergency Alarms
Residents expressed exhaustion over recurring emergency alarms and the constant threat of rising waters. Govind Shreshta, who lives in a flood-affected village, described the difficulty of repeatedly fleeing to higher ground with elderly parents amidst ongoing rain. Large concrete structures and suspension bridges were swept away during Wednesday’s disaster, isolating communities on opposite banks. Sattan Singh Tamang, 47, noted that access routes remain cut off, leaving residents stranded on either side of the swollen riverbeds as recovery operations proceed.
