Nepal flash flood: Over 30,000 affected, death toll at 1,295

According to the preliminary report by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, damage to educational institutions has impacted more than 6,500 students.

Kathmandu: The devastating flash floods in Nepal have affected more than 32,000 people and damaged roads, bridges, schools and healthcare facilities, according to a preliminary government report released on Friday, September 4.

The report was presented by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) at a press briefing.

The death toll from the flash floods rose to 1,295 on the day as more bodies were recovered from the affected areas.

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The floods, triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal, leaving a trail of destruction.

According to the preliminary report, 32,933 people have been affected, while damage to educational institutions has impacted more than 6,500 students.

Four healthcare facilities were completely damaged and three others partially damaged in the flood-affected areas.

About 55 km of motorable roads were completely damaged, along with 37 motorable bridges and 68 suspension bridges.

However, a detailed assessment of the damage is yet to be completed.

Three more Indian nationals, among them a five-year-old child, were rescued from the flood-hit Trishuli Bazaar area of Nepal, bringing the total count of Indian evacuees to 169, while 275 nationals remain missing, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.

Sharing broader updates on the safety of Indian nationals, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal noted that 1,907 Indians have safely crossed over to Nepal from China.

The three Indian nationals rescued from the Trishuli Bazaar area were identified as Abhijit Suresh Pawar, Dipika Abhijit Pawar, and five-year-old Samarth Abhijit Pawar, Jaiswal said, adding that the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu is facilitating their return flight home.

Meanwhile, two men were rescued from a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower project after being trapped for nine days.

The flash floods, triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal, leaving a trail of destruction.

Estimated 5,000 missing

The joint command of security forces is actively conducting search and rescue operations for the estimated 5,000 missing. So far, 13,093 people have been rescued from the affected areas.

The two men rescued alive from the tunnel were identified as Kabir Maharjan, 45, a mechanical supervisor on the project, and Sanjay Sah, 30, a foreman, according to the Public Relations Directorate of the Nepal Army.

Mahajan was flown to Nepal Army Hospital in Chhauni, Kathmandu, and his condition is said to be critical, while Sah is under treatment at the Trishuli hospital in Nuwakot, according to Raja Ram Basnet, Nepali Army spokesperson.

‘Given a second life: wife of man rescued from tunnel

Sah, who is from Saptari district in Madhesh province, told security personnel that he had been chanting the ‘Hare Krishna’ mantra for the last nine days while trapped inside the tunnel.

“I was chanting Hare Krishna mahamantra for the past nine days,” he said, briefly talking about the incident soon after he was taken out safely.

Maharjan’s wife said her husband, who is from Kathmandu, had been given a “second life” and thanked rescuers who risked their lives to save him.

“He has returned with a second life. We are extremely happy,” his wife, Hira Shobha, was quoted as saying by the Kathmandu Post. “We had been waiting. I am now going to the hospital to see my husband.”

11-member NDRF team in Nepal

An eleven-member NDRF technical team has been sent to Nepal to help rescuers find live victims who could be trapped at multiple locations, including at a hydropower project that was hit by the devastating flash floods last week, officials said on Friday.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team led by a commander is part of the relief teams India has sent to the neighbouring country after the August 26 disaster.

The 11-member NDRF team is assisting local teams by providing expertise in rope rescue techniques and finding people inside slush-filled tunnels, the officials said.

The team is currently deployed at the Chilime Hydropower Plant built on the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa district, they said.

275 Indian nations remain missing, says MEA

Two hundred seventy-five Indians remained missing while 169 others were rescued following the devastating flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.

It said that 1,907 Indian nationals have safely crossed over to Nepal from China. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India supplied around 95 tonnes of relief material to Nepal since the flash floods hit the country on August 26.

“As per our information, 275 Indian nationals remain missing. We continue to be in close touch with the Nepali government,” Jaiswal said at his regular media briefing.

“We deeply appreciate the efforts of the Nepalese authorities in this regard. So far, 166 Indian nationals have been rescued, and 1,907 Indian nationals have safely crossed into Nepal from China,” he said.

“As per official sources in China, there are no Indian travellers who are stranded in the Tibetan Autonomous Region in China,” Jaiswal noted.

India has sent 95 tonnes of relief material

Jaiswal said India has supplied around 95 tonnes of relief material on seven aircraft to Nepal till now.

“In addition to the relief material, we have also sent 54 personnel to support relief and rescue efforts in Nepal. This comprises 30 tunnel rescue experts, 19 forensic experts, and a five-member medical team. Our rescue and forensic teams are deployed on the ground, and they are working closely with the Nepalese authorities,” he said.

The MEA spokesperson said India will continue to assist Nepal as per the requirements of the government in that country.

“We do plan to send more forensic kits, Bailey bridges and other materials that are requested by the government of Nepal,” he said.

Relief package for businesses

Meanwhile, Nepal’s government has announced a special relief package for businesses hit by the devastating floods, offering concessions, loan restructuring and cheaper credit, as authorities began work on relocating settlements destroyed by the disaster.

Businesses whose commercial vehicles, transport equipment, plants, machinery, tools or other equipment were destroyed beyond repair or swept away will be allowed to import replacements without paying customs duties, the Kathmandu Post said.

The concession will also apply to goods on which customs duties had already been paid but which were destroyed before reaching their destination. Replacement goods will have to be imported through any customs office within six months, it said.

Provincial and local governments will also be asked to provide temporary concessions on property and business taxes, building permit fees and other local charges for affected businesses and properties, the report added.

The government has directed Nepal Rastra Bank, the country’s central bank, to facilitate restructuring or rescheduling of loans taken by flood-affected borrowers, it said.

The Insurance Authority has separately been asked to speed up claims by allowing insurers to deploy surveyors through simplified procedures. Insurers will be required to provide advance payments of up to 50 per cent of estimated losses based on preliminary assessments.