Floods in Rasuwa’s Bhotekoshi river on August 26 have left 587 foreign tourists from 34 nations missing, including 256 men, 329 women, and two of unknown gender. These visitors were en route to Kailash Mansarovar and the Janai Purnima fair when the disaster struck.
According to the Department of Tourism, 184 Indian nationals are missing. Other missing tourists include 33 Australians, two Belarusians, 30 Canadians, one Finn, four French, eight Germans, one Hungarian, two Irish, one Israeli, one Lithuanian, 55 Malaysians, and two Dutch people.
Rescue operations are ongoing, with the Department reporting the successful rescue of 307 foreign tourists so far. Among those rescued, 254 are men and 53 are women. They have rescued a total of 13,396 people from areas affected by the flood.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority states that 3,533 individuals are presently housed in 39 relief centers located in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading. The Nepali Army estimates that 121 people were confined within hydropower project tunnels following the flood.
Read Also: Hiker Injured on Réunion Island’s 120-Mile Trail
Following the flood, 1,356 victims have been retrieved, with 4,996 people still missing according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority. Of these, 98 identities have been confirmed and returned to their families. A total of 6,672 people, including the injured and affected, have received medical care since the disaster.
The Bhotekoshi flood caused significant loss of life and property, prompting security forces, local authorities, and various governmental and non-governmental entities to continue engaging in search, rescue, medical care, and relief activities. The magnitude of the response is significant, involving multiple agencies collaborating to provide aid to those affected.
A total of 188 tourists from Nepal have also gone missing in the floods. The government’s continued rescue operations and relief efforts are focused on providing assistance to all those affected, regardless of their nationality. The Department of Tourism and other agencies are working to provide support to the families of the missing tourists.
The rescue operations and relief efforts are expected to continue for some time, with the government and other agencies working to provide aid to those affected by the flood. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority will continue to provide updates on the situation, including the number of people rescued and the number of bodies recovered.