KATHMANDU: Khabarhub brings you a glimpse of major developments of the day in Nepal, including politics, business/economy, sports, entertainment, and more.
PM Shah calls for stronger cooperation to combat human trafficking
Prime Minister (PM) Balendra Shah (Balen) has said cooperation and coordination among all concerned bodies, including the federal, provincial and local governments, are essential to building a society free of human trafficking. In a message issued on the occasion of the 20th National Day Against Human Trafficking, Prime Minister Shah described human trafficking as a disgrace to human civilization and an organized crime that has spread across the world. He stressed the need for greater cooperation and coordination among relevant agencies to combat the crime. The day is being observed today with the slogan, “Proper Use of Technology and Vigilance: Solidarity in Building a Nation Free of Human Trafficking.” Prime Minister Shah said advances in technology have also brought changes in the trends, nature, methods and destinations associated with human trafficking and smuggling.
PM Shah to address UN General Assembly on Sept 24
Prime Minister (PM) Balendra Shah (Balen) is scheduled to address the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 24. The United Nations revised its list of speakers following a request from Nepal and scheduled Prime Minister Shah to address the General Assembly on September 24. The revised schedule, communicated by the Nepali Mission in New York through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), has reached the Prime Minister’s Secretariat. Preparations for Shah’s visit to the United States are now being made accordingly.
Bhotekoshi flood update: Death toll reaches 1,344
The death toll from the Bhotekoshi flood has reached 1,344, while 4,898 people, including Nepali and foreign nationals, remain unaccounted for, Nepal Police said. Of those reported missing, 2,448 are Nepali citizens, including 2,930 men and 482 women. A further 1,350 people have been registered as missing through telephone contacts. Among foreign nationals, 274 men and 384 women have been reported missing, bringing the total number of missing foreign nationals to 698. So far, 1,344 bodies have been recovered from the flood-affected areas. Of these, 52 are children, 33 are girls, 269 are women, 489 are men and 501 are partial remains. Of the recovered bodies, 1,030 have been buried or otherwise managed, according to police.
Authorities urge public not to believe glacial lake outburst rumors
The Flood Early Warning Center has urged the public not to believe rumors about a possible glacial lake outburst and major flooding in the Bhotekoshi River in Nuwakot and Rasuwa districts, saying there is currently no immediate risk of significant flooding. The Center, under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, issued a notice on Friday night after receiving numerous inquiries through various channels about the possibility of a glacial lake outburst and subsequent flooding. According to the Center, it is in regular contact with its Chinese counterpart and is continuously monitoring the information and conditions reported from the area.
Woman rescued alive from flood-buried house in Nuwakot
A woman has been rescued alive from a buried house in Betrawati, Nuwakot. A team from the Armed Police Force (APF) safely evacuated the woman from the house of Anand Shrestha after it was submerged by floodwaters. According to the APF, the woman was rescued from the flooded house and is in normal condition following the rescue. Earlier, the Nepali Army had rescued a Chinese national from the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project site. Similarly, two people were rescued from a tunnel at the Trishuli-3A Hydropower Project on Friday.
Chinese national rescued from Upper Trishuli-1 tunnel
A Chinese national has been rescued from a tunnel at the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project in Rasuwa, 11 days after the project was hit by a devastating flood. The Nepali Army said the Chinese national was rescued from the project’s Audit-4 tunnel at around 1:20 pm on Saturday. The rescue operation was jointly carried out by the Nepali Army and a Korean disaster response team. The Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project was severely damaged by the Bhotekoshi River flood in Rasuwa on August 26. The Chinese national was rescued 11 days after the flood.
LPG companies ramp up supplies to ease gas shortage in Kathmandu
Gas companies have stepped up efforts to prevent a shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in Kathmandu Valley after the Prithvi Highway was disrupted at Krishnabhir, Dhading. Following permission from Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) to bottle LPG cylinders outside the Kathmandu Valley, gas industries have begun transporting empty cylinders to plants outside the valley, filling them and sending the filled cylinders back to Kathmandu through alternative routes. Nepal LP Gas Industry Association President Diwan Chand, outgoing president Shiva Ghimire, former president Gokul Bhandari, association member Bimal Kalakheti and others have been coordinating with transport entrepreneurs in Makawanpur to facilitate the movement of LPG cylinders.
Bhotekoshi flood: 1,030 recovered bodies managed so far
Of the 1,344 bodies recovered following the Bhotekoshi flood, 1,030 have been safely buried, according to Nepal Police. Police said 222 women, 355 men and 453 unidentified bodies have been buried so far. DNA samples and other necessary information have been collected to facilitate the identification of the unidentified bodies. Central Police Spokesperson Abhinarayan Kafle said DNA samples have been collected from 1,260 deceased individuals and 1,001 of their relatives as part of the identification process. According to Kafle, after collecting DNA samples and other necessary details, the bodies were buried in accordance with the Management of Unidentified and Abandoned Bodies (First Amendment) Guidelines, 2083.
Over Rs 11.55 billion collected in PM Disaster Relief Fund
Financial contributions to support victims of the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli floods have continued to increase. According to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM), a total of Rs 11.556 billion is currently available in the Prime Minister Disaster Rescue Fund and the Prime Minister Relief Fund. The government has already released Rs 1 billion from the funds for flood-affected areas. The OPMCM said Rs 8.625 billion is deposited in nine commercial banks. In addition, US$19,837,695 has been deposited in US dollar accounts maintained at Himalayan Bank and Laxmi Sunrise Bank.
Landslides block Karnali Corridor
The Karnali Corridor road section has been blocked by landslides triggered by continuous rainfall since last night. The road was obstructed by a landslide at the Bhukah River in Jagannath Rural Municipality-5 of Bajura. According to Gagan Singh Bhat, information officer and police inspector at the District Police Office, Bajura, landslides have blocked the road at Badhu in Himali Rural Municipality-7 and Bhukah River in Jagannath Rural Municipality-5. The landslide at Badhu was cleared with a JCB excavator belonging to PS Construction. However, the road remains blocked due to the landslide at Bhukah River. A three-member police team led by Police Sub-Inspector Ramesh Rawal from the Juddi Police Station has been deployed at the site to facilitate the reopening of the road.
Bhotekoshi flood causes extensive damage to roads and eight hydropower projects in Rasuwa
The Bhotekoshi flood has caused extensive damage to private and public property in Rasuwa, with the District Administration Office releasing preliminary details of the destruction caused by the flood on the 10th of the month. According to Assistant Chief District Officer Dhruva Prasad Adhikari, the flood damaged 28 government and public buildings, eight community schools, three private schools, 14 banks and financial institutions, one petrol station and around 1,500 private houses. The flood swept away 41 kilometres of roads, six concrete bridges, eight Bailey bridges and 10 suspension bridges in the district. Eight hydropower projects built along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers and the Langtang Khola have suffered complete damage, according to the preliminary assessment.
Rescue efforts continue at Chilime hydropower project as access road built to bring heavy excavator
Rescue efforts to save people trapped inside a tunnel at the Chilime Hydropower Project are continuing, but difficult terrain, adverse weather and completely disrupted road networks have made it challenging to transport the required manpower, supplies and equipment to the site. Twenty-one personnel from the Nepali Army and Indian Army are currently working inside the tunnel manually to remove soil and heavy debris. Of the 250-metre-long tunnel, around 100 metres has so far been cleared. However, as it has become difficult to continue the rescue operation through manual efforts alone, authorities have prioritised bringing a large excavator to the site.
Switzerland provides advanced drone to support tunnel rescue operations
Switzerland has provided Nepal with a specialised advanced drone to strengthen search and rescue operations inside tunnels at hydropower projects and other high-risk sites. The drone was handed over to the Nepal Electricity Authority following a special initiative by the Secretariat of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha. It was manufactured by Swiss drone company Flyability and is designed for human rescue operations and inspection of hazardous structures. Swiss humanitarian assistance experts handed the drone to representatives of the Nepal Electricity Authority. The drone is specifically designed to search and inspect dark, narrow and hazardous tunnels that are difficult for people to enter.
Kaski landslide update: Two workers die
Two workers who were seriously injured in a landslide while working on an access road to the under-construction Super Seti Hydropower Project in Machhapuchhre Rural Municipality-1, Kaski, have died during treatment. The deceased have been identified as 26-year-old Ayush Rai of Pakhribas Municipality-8, Dhankuta, and 27-year-old Kisan Rai of Kepilasgadhi Rural Municipality-1, Khotang. Both were working on the hydropower project. According to Birendra Kumar Paswan, information officer and deputy superintendent of police at the District Police Office, Kaski, the two died while undergoing treatment at Manipal Teaching Hospital.
DNA sample collection center opens in Nuwakot for flood victims
Nepal Police has established a DNA sample collection center in Nuwakot to help identify people missing in the Bhotekoshi River flood. Previously, family members of missing people from Rasuwa and Nuwakot had to travel to Kathmandu to provide DNA samples. To ease the burden on flood-affected families, a sample collection center has now been established in Bidur, according to Deputy Inspector General of Police Dr. Damodar Paudel. He said collecting DNA samples from relatives of missing people would help authorities identify bodies recovered from flood-affected areas. “Following reports that several people from Nuwakot and Rasuwa went missing in the floods, DNA testing has been initiated to identify the recovered bodies by collecting samples from their family members,” Dr. Paudel said.
APF to provide Rs 2.5 million to each family of its on-duty staff killed in disaster
The Armed Police Force (APF) Nepal has decided to provide Rs 2.5 million to each family of its on-duty staff killed in the recent Bhotekoshi flood. The APF Nepal took a decision to this regard in line with its existing rules on relief distribution and disaster management fund. In addition to these schemes, the assistance is generated from the relief amount collected from among the APF staffs. The advisory committee meeting chaired by Inspector General of APF, Narayan Datta Poudel, said the families of the APF members would be exempted remaining amount of loan if they had taken it from APF’s Employee Welfare Fund. The children of the deceased APF members would be provided schooling up to Grade 10 for free of cost at any convenient APF school. Information on it was shared by joint spokesperson of APF, Shailendra Thapa.
Chinese Embassy team meets citizen rescued from Trishuli-1 tunnel after 11 days
A team from the Chinese Embassy in Nepal has met with the Chinese national who was rescued from the tunnel of the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project. The team, led by Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming, visited Birendra Army Hospital in Chhauni to meet the rescued citizen. According to the embassy, the team inquired about his health condition and ongoing treatment. The Chinese national was rescued from the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project tunnel on Saturday after being trapped inside for 11 days. He had been stranded in the tunnel since the Bhotekoshi flood on Bhadra 10.
Day 11 of Bhotekoshi flood: Power infrastructure restoration and tunnel rescue efforts intensified
The devastating Bhotekoshi River flood has caused extensive damage to power infrastructure, prompting the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation to prioritise rescue, relief, coordination and restoration of electricity services in Rasuwa and Nuwakot. On the 11th day since the flood, the ministry said a Chinese national was safely rescued from the 216-MW Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project tunnel on Saturday. The rescue was carried out by the Nepali Army and a South Korean disaster response team, according to the ministry. Available resources, equipment and personnel have been mobilised under the ministry’s coordination to search for and rescue those still unaccounted for. Search and rescue operations are continuing in hydropower project tunnels and other debris sites with the assistance of technical experts.
Gaura festival brings Sudurpaschim and Karnali youth together at Tundikhel
Deuda, a traditional folk dance of Sudurpaschim and Karnali, has begun at Tundikhel in Kathmandu as communities from the two regions gather to celebrate the Gaura festival. Sudurpaschim and Karnali residents living in the Kathmandu Valley, along with members of the general public, have turned up in large numbers to celebrate the festival. Young people and elderly participants dressed in traditional attire have formed circles, holding hands and performing Deuda to traditional songs. A large crowd has gathered at Tundikhel to watch the performances. The Deuda programme, which began on Friday, will continue until Sunday. Deuda is regarded as an important expression of the traditional folk culture of Sudurpaschim and Karnali and is one of the main attractions of the Gaura festival. Through Deuda songs, participants express social, cultural and contemporary issues while sharing their joys and sorrows and strengthening social bonds.
Nepali kickboxer Abiral Ghimire “Himalayan Cheetah” crowned world champion
Nepali young kickboxer Abiral Ghimire, popularly known as the “Himalayan Cheetah,” has achieved another historic victory in international kickboxing. Ghimire defeated French boxer Mathan Choinard by knockout in the main event of the “HEAT Kickboxing 59 International Sports Kickboxing Federation World Championship” held at Kariya Hall in Nagoya, Japan, on Saturday evening. Choinard is the 2025 world champion. Ghimire secured the knockout victory in the second minute of the second round after landing a powerful punch on his opponent.
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