KathmanduReuters —
Nepal sent helicopters to help rescue people on Wednesday after massive flash floods washed away Himalayan villages, killed eight people and damaged roads, bridges and power projects near Tibet, authorities said.
According to Xinhua news agency, a landslide occurred in the border area between China and Nepal, and across the border, Tibet reported “massive casualties and some people missing” in neighboring Gilong province.
Officials said the water was too high for helicopters to land in the affected areas of Shapurbeshi and Timre in Nepal’s mountainous Rasuwa district, which has a population of about 50,000 people, raising the risk of casualties.
“There could be a large number of casualties and property loss,” district administrator Narendra Pariyar told Reuters. “But I can’t say for sure right now.”
Pariyar appealed to people living on the banks of the Bhote Kosi river in the area to seek higher ground, noting reports that nearby villages and infrastructure project sites had been washed away.
“Everything happened suddenly,” the online cabal portal quoted an eyewitness in the area as saying. “I heard a loud noise, like a volcano erupting. People started screaming and running away.”
However, Nepal’s rescue helicopters will not be able to land in the affected areas until the waters recede, military spokesman Raja Ram Basnet said.
The cause of the flooding was not immediately clear, but a deadly flash flood in the same river last year was ultimately determined to have been caused by glacial lake drainage.
Xinhua added that landslides on the Nepali side hit China’s Gilong port, cutting off roads, communications and power in the Shigatse region near the border with Nepal, without giving details.
President Xi Jinping called for “all-out efforts” to search for missing people and strengthen surveillance and early warning systems to prevent secondary disasters.
Nepal’s energy ministry said 430,000 kW of power supply, mainly from hydropower projects, was affected, more than 12% of the country’s total hydropower capacity of 3.2 million kW, according to Reuters calculations.
Chief Minister Balendra Shah said police and army were participating in rescue and relief teams.
“Directions have been issued to move people living in low-lying areas to safer areas,” he said. “People along the river are advised to take extra care and remain vigilant.”
The Bhote Koshi River, which originates in Tibet, empties into the Trishuli River in Nepal and finally into India as the Gandak River.
Last year’s Bhote Koshi floods washed away the Friendship Bridge connecting Nepal and China, disrupting trade and traffic for months, leaving nine people dead and 24 missing.
The regional climate watchdog said the floods were caused by the drainage of an ice lake in Tibet.
