KATHMANDU: Search and rescue operations resumed early this morning for 19 people still missing after a devastating flood swept through Rasuwa district on Tuesday, according to Nepal Police.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sanjay Singh Thapa, spokesperson for the Bagmati Province Police Office, said the search has now expanded along the banks of the Trishuli and Narayani rivers, covering multiple districts including Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Chitwan, and Nawalparasi.
On Tuesday evening, the body of Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police Lal Bahadur Shrestha, who had gone missing in the flood, was recovered in Chitwan.
“The discovery of a body downstream has prompted an intensified search all the way to the Narayani River,” SSP Thapa said.
So far, police have confirmed nine deaths due to the flood, but only five bodies are in a condition that allows for identification. Four human body parts have also been found and will require DNA testing to confirm identities.
Among the missing are two police officers, six Chinese nationals, and eleven civilians.
SSP Thapa further reported that the flood destroyed 64 vehicles and swept away the Nepal–China Friendship Bridge (Miteri Bridge) at Rasuwagadhi, causing massive damage to infrastructure and property.
Meteorologists suspect the flood may have been caused by the bursting of a glacial lake in the upper Himalayan region. Chief of the Flood Forecasting Division at the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Binod Parajuli, said an investigation is ongoing to determine the cause.
“There was no significant rainfall at the time, which raises concerns of a potential glacial lake outburst,” he said.
Authorities have mobilized multiple search teams and are also working on identifying the victims while assessing damage in the affected regions.
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