Nepal drowns in Himalayan Fury

Kathmandu/New Delhi: Nepal was battling one of its worst natural disasters in decades on Thursday after catastrophic flash floods triggered by an ice-rock avalanche swept through settlements, killing at least 270 people and leaving hundreds missing.

The disaster struck on Wednesday after an ice-rock avalanche upstream blocked the Lhende tributary of the Bhote Koshi River, creating a massive debris-laden surge. The torrent first hit Timure near the Nepal-Tibet border before roaring downstream through Rasuwagadhi and Syaphru Besi and entering the Trishuli River.

The floods subsequently affected areas across Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha and Chitwan districts, destroying homes and critical infrastructure.

‘Timure is completely gone’

For survivors, the disaster unfolded within minutes.

Giri Lal, 38, lost his wife, two sons and two daughters after the floods swept through Timure. The waste-management truck driver survived and is undergoing treatment at a government hospital in Kathmandu.

Other eyewitnesses described scenes resembling an earthquake as the roaring mass of water, mud and debris tore through settlements.

One survivor recalled hearing people shouting, “Timure is completely gone, nothing is left,” as the disaster struck. Residents watched helplessly as buildings, vehicles, people and animals were swept away.

Families have since been moving between hospitals and relief centres carrying photographs of missing relatives in the hope of finding them alive.

Foreigners among victims

The scale of the human tragedy remains unclear, with casualty and missing-person figures changing as rescue teams reach previously inaccessible areas.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority reported more than 800 people missing, including hundreds of tourists. Authorities said visitors from more than 30 countries could be among those unaccounted for.

Officials cautioned that the numbers may change considerably because communication networks have collapsed and many trekkers, pilgrims and other travellers may not have been formally registered.

The affected region is also an important route for pilgrims travelling towards Kailash Mansarovar.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs said 288 Indian nationals remained uncontactable, primarily because communication lines in the disaster zone had been “totally disrupted”.

The missing or unreachable Indians include groups connected with the Trishuli-1 power project and Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims from Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala and other states.

Around 200 Indians undertaking the Mansarovar Yatra have sought evacuation, while 21 people from Tamil Nadu have been rescued.

A large group associated with Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev’s Isha Foundation also remained unaccounted for in the Himalayan region.

Roads, bridges, power projects washed away

The floods have caused enormous infrastructure damage.

Preliminary assessments indicate that around 40 km of roads have been wiped out and scores of motorable and suspension bridges damaged or destroyed.

Several important highways have been blocked, including routes connecting Kathmandu with other districts. Mud, rocks and damaged infrastructure have made many stretches inaccessible.

At least nine hydropower projects and nine branches of commercial banks have also been destroyed, while the full extent of damage to homes, businesses and public property is still being assessed.

The disaster could rank among Nepal’s deadliest since the devastating 1993 floods, according to local reports.

Helicopters race against time

Nepal has mounted a massive rescue and relief operation involving the Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and private helicopter operators.

More than 40 private helicopter flights took off from Kathmandu by Thursday afternoon carrying relief material to affected regions, while over 20 helicopters remained on standby.

Army helicopters have also been flying repeated missions to rescue stranded people and transport supplies.

Medical teams have been mobilised, while temporary shelters, food, drinking water and medicines are being provided to survivors.

India rushes aid

India was among the first countries to respond to the catastrophe.

New Delhi dispatched a second aircraft on Thursday carrying 37.5 tonnes of humanitarian relief material, medicines and food, after sending an initial 10-tonne consignment on Wednesday.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India remained in continuous contact with Nepalese authorities and would strongly support the ongoing relief operations.

Questions over China warning

Meanwhile, questions have emerged over whether better information-sharing between China and Nepal could have reduced the human toll.

Former Nepal minister Madhav Prasad Chaulagain said the lack of timely information exchange before the disaster was “concerning”.

He said preliminary evidence indicated that the catastrophe was caused not by an earthquake but by a combination of ice fall and landslide debris blocking the river, followed by a sudden outburst.

With rescue teams still struggling to reach devastated settlements and hundreds remaining missing, authorities fear the final toll could rise sharply as the Himalayan disaster continues to unfold.