Dhading, Nepal: Nepalese authorities warned of possible fresh flooding on Sunday and urged residents in affected districts to remain on high alert after water levels rose in the Bhotekoshi River.
Flood warning alerts were sent to mobile phones across affected areas as rescue crews worked to clear a major highway connecting Kathmandu to one of the regions hardest hit by Wednesday’s floods.
In the town of Galchhi, residents moved to higher ground and monitored river conditions as fast-flowing waters carried large rocks downstream. Authorities also warned people away from suspension bridges spanning the river.
Rising death toll
The latest figures brought the combined death toll in Nepal and Tibet to 750, with more than 3,000 people still missing. Nepal’s disaster agency reported 734 deaths and 2,498 people missing, while Chinese authorities reported 16 deaths and 546 missing.
Dharam Raj Uprety, chief executive of Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, said the latest warnings followed information from Chinese authorities about increased water flow upstream.
However, residents in flood-hit communities said they were struggling to cope with the repeated alerts issued since the disaster.
“Sometimes they say a flood is coming, then we have to run again to higher ground, even at night. There is also rain,” local resident Govind Shreshta said. “It’s really difficult for me. I have a 72-year-old father and 70-year-old mother. I must carry them and I am exhausted.”
The floods destroyed large concrete and suspension bridges, leaving many communities isolated on opposite sides of the river.
“Those that are there are now stuck there. Those who are here are stuck here. It’s going to be very difficult,” said Sattan Singh Tamang, who was working near a bridge when the floods struck on Wednesday.
Many homes and businesses that survived the flooding remained without electricity on Sunday as damaged power poles and tangled wires lay buried in mud and debris.
The Prithivi Highway, a key route for transporting food, fuel and other supplies into Kathmandu, remained partly affected, with repair work continuing in several sections.
