Nepal deploys rescuers after massive flood

A massive flood swept through Nepal’s northern Rasuwa district on Wednesday, damaging roads and power infrastructure as authorities scrambled to assess the scale of the destruction.

Videos shared by Nepal Police and others on social media showed torrents of muddy water crashing through mountain valleys in the Himalayan district bordering China.

“We do not exactly know the extent of damage, but the flood is big, and it could have damaged many settlements,” Nepal Police spokesman Abi Narayan Kafle told AFP.

“We have alerted people who are staying near the riverside to relocate… and deployed all our resources,” he said.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah convened an emergency meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority to take stock of the situation.

“Work has started to take necessary steps in coordination with the medical team, scouts, and Red Cross,” Shah said in a social media post.

The Nepal Army said it had deployed helicopters and disaster response personnel to the affected area.

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“The work of collecting details of the damage is underway,” it said in a statement.

The Nepal Electricity Authority said about 430 megawatts of production capacity, including from hydropower and solar facilities, has been damaged.

“The disaster has damaged the production, transmission and distribution facilities of the Authority… resulting in disruption of electricity supply,” it said.

Several highways were also closed, authorities said.

Monsoon rains from June to September regularly trigger deadly floods and landslides across South Asia.

Scientists say climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in the region.

AFP

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