Now Reading: Nepal floods kill 16, 400 tourists missing, India on alert
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Nepal floods kill 16, 400 tourists missing, India on alert
At least 16 people have died and over 400 tourists, including 105 Indians, are missing after flash floods hit Nepal's Rasuwa district on Wednesday morning. The Bhotekoshi river burst its banks, sweeping…
At least 16 people have died and over 400 tourists, including 105 Indians, are missing after flash floods hit Nepal's Rasuwa district on Wednesday morning. The Bhotekoshi river burst its banks, sweeping away vehicles, damaging 13 hydropower projects and destroying 19 bridges and 40 roads. Nepal Army helicopters have rescued 25 people so far, with 15 choppers deployed in the search.
Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have been put on alert as water levels in the Gandak, Narayani, Kosi and Ghaghra rivers are expected to rise. UP CM Yogi Adityanath has directed local administrations in Maharajganj and Kushinagar to stay prepared, while Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The SSB has readied 11 rescue teams along the India-Nepal border, with seven more on standby.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Bhotekoshi river, a tributary of the Kosi known as the 'sorrow of Bihar', has a history of sudden flooding after cloudbursts or glacial lake outbursts in the Himalayas. The Kosi embankment system, built after the 1954 floods, has frequently been breached during high flows. With the monsoon still active, the key risk for Bihar's six vulnerable districts is a sudden surge in the Kosi and Gandak basins, which could inundate large areas of cropland ahead of the harvest. The state's disaster management machinery will be tested over the next 48 hours as water from Nepal reaches the plains.
India's external affairs ministry coordinates rescue of stranded citizens through the embassy in Kathmandu, while the MHA monitors river levels via the Central Water Commission.
Source: aajtak.in
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
