Catastrophic Flash Floods in Nepal's Bhotekoshi River Claim 95...
Catastrophic flash floods along the Bhotekoshi River in Nepal have claimed at least 95 lives, washing away critical infrastructure and triggering...
By GT24x7 Correspondents··GlobalToday24x7
A catastrophic flash flood along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river systems has swept through central Nepal's northern Himalayan region, leaving a trail of massive destruction. Official statements from the Nepal Government confirmed that the death toll has surged to at least 95, with hundreds of residents and foreign tourists still reported missing downstream. The sudden deluge, triggered by a massive rockslide and ice avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border, sent a roaring torrent of mud, ice, and debris downstream into Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and neighboring districts.
Terrifying visuals circulating across social media platforms highlighted the sheer ferocity of the floodwaters. In one widely shared video, the surging torrent carried a compromised bridge downstream, causing it to collide directly with a second bridge before both structures collapsed and were entirely swept away by the raging river. The floodwaters also overran border checkposts, inundated settlements, destroyed over a dozen hydropower projects, and cut off major transport links, including a 42-kilometer highway stretch connecting Nuwakot with the Rasuwagadhi border crossing.
Massive Multi-Agency Rescue Operations Mobilized
In response to the unprecedented disaster, emergency authorities launched a massive search-and-rescue offensive across affected river valleys. More than 30 helicopters—operated jointly by the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force, and private civil operators—have been deployed to conduct aerial reconnaissance, drop emergency food supplies, and airlift stranded survivors from isolated pockets.
Ground operations, however, face severe impediments due to widespread structural devastation. Widespread damage to critical infrastructure, including snapped telecommunication cables, destroyed roads, and submerged power stations, has crippled communications across remote districts. Rescue teams are utilizing specialized drones and sniffer dog units to locate survivors trapped under heavy mud deposits along destroyed riverside markets.
India Dispatches Air Force Aircraft with Emergency HADR Material
Standing in solidarity with its neighbor under its 'Neighbourhood First' policy, India immediately mobilized disaster relief operations to assist Kathmandu. The Indian Air Force (IAF) deployed heavy-lift transport aircraft, including C-17 Globemaster and C-130J Hercules platforms, loaded with tonnes of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) materials, critical medicines, food packets, water purification units, and temporary shelter kits.
Furthermore, Indian authorities are coordinating closely with the Nepalese administration to track missing foreign nationals, including Indian pilgrims stranded along border transit routes. With risk alerts remaining active downstream along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river corridors, regional authorities in both Nepal and border districts of India remain on high alert.