Rescuers search for dozens of Britons among those missing in Nepal after floods
Rescuers use earthmovers to reach submerged houses after flash flooding along the Trishuli River in Nepal’s Nuwakot district (Niranjan Shrestha/AP) AP Sam Hall 3 minutes ago Rescuers are searching for dozens of British nationals who are among those missing and feared dead in Nepal after devastating flash floods killed more than 160 people.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority in Nepal said on Thursday morning that 165 bodies had been recovered following flooding in the Rasuwa region, which borders China’s autonomous region of Tibet.
They said the number of missing people had risen from 403 to 826, with the Nepal Tourism Board saying on Wednesday that 33 UK citizens were among 341 foreign nationals unaccounted for.
At least three people were in Tibet, according to China’s state broadcaster CCTV, while the Xinhua News Agency said 558 people were unaccounted for in the region.
Flash floods caused rivers to swell their banks and spread thick mud across populated areas, burying houses and creating difficult conditions for rescuers.
Videos posted on social media showed huge flood waters surging through valleys as people screamed in terror, with bridges being washed away.
Other videos showed people desperately fleeing uphill to escape the surging muddy flood waters.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said a magnitude 5.2 seismic event occurred near the border between Nepal and China on Wednesday at 8.37am local time.
It added that a “glacial collapse and debris flow” caused “subsequent catastrophic impacts downstream”.
Kalpana Malla, from Nepal’s Nuwakot district, told BBC News: “My family members were swept away by the flood in front of my eyes.”
Ms Malla said her father, mother, sister and her sister’s children were all swept away by the floods.
She added: “They could not escape the flood, there was no chance at all.
“This flood took everything, but my son and I climbed the rooftop of a house and survived, but couldn’t explain how.”
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