KATHMANDU, July 10: Nearly 900 people displaced by the devastating flood that struck the Bhotekoshi River in the early hours of July 8 have been relocated to safer areas after the Syafrubesi–Rasuwagadhi road section was completely shut down.
According to Armed Police Force (APF) spokesperson Shailendra Thapa, over 485 individuals were safely escorted to their destinations via temporary foot trails constructed by security forces. Additionally, two container trucks and one electric vehicle trapped in the customs yard inundated by the flood were moved to safety.
The flash flood in the Bhotekoshi River caused significant human and material losses. Among the missing are 14 Nepali citizens—including 3 security personnel—and 6 Chinese nationals. So far, 4 bodies have been recovered, along with 5 human body parts. Of the recovered bodies, only one has been identified, and the remaining remains have been kept at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj.
String of disasters curtail Upper Bhotekoshi's capacity
These remains were found in various locations: Belkhu (Gajuri Rural Municipality–6), Kewrenitar (Galchi–2), Lamabagar and Charaundi (Benighat Rorang–3), Malekhu (Gajuri–2), Sirakhali and Maranpati (Bidur–3, Nuwakot), and along the banks of the Trishuli and Uttargaya rivers in Rasuwa.
The flood, which intensified after the sediment-laden Lhende stream merged with the Bhotekoshi River, also damaged the Nepal–China connecting bridge in Rasuwa’s Gosaikunda Rural Municipality–2. The road linking the Nepal-China border crossing is currently blocked. Electricity and communication lines in the area are down.
Rescue efforts continue with the joint mobilization of the Nepali Army, Armed Police Force, Nepal Police, and local residents. On Tuesday alone, 55 individuals—50 Nepalis, 4 Indians, and 1 Chinese national—were rescued. Among them were 4 women and 51 men. Of the total rescued, 23 were airlifted by Nepali Army helicopters, while the rest were evacuated using other rescue equipment.
Furthermore, 165 people from high-risk households have been relocated to safety using private helicopters on Wednesday and Thursday.
The flood swept away 42 electric vehicles (EVs), 23 cargo containers, 6 trucks, several loaders and excavators, 8 pieces of heavy equipment, 30 welding machines, and 20 grounding machines.
Significant infrastructure damage has also been reported: the EV charging station in the customs yard, the dam, headworks, and labor camps of the Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project, as well as the tunnel section of the Chilime Hydropower Project, have all suffered destruction.
Search, rescue, and reconstruction efforts are being coordinated through ongoing meetings of the District Disaster Management Committee, with all district-level mechanisms now actively engaged in response operations.
