More than 160 dead and dozens of Britons missing following catastrophic flooding in Nepal
The death toll from the devastating flash floods in Nepal has risen to more than 160 with dozens of British nationals still missing.
Nepal Police confirmed this morning (Thursday 27 August), that 162 bodies had been recovered following flooding in the Rasuwa region of Nepal with the number expected to rise as rescue and recovery efforts continue.
"This will go up, as we have resumed the search and more bodies are expected to be recovered," police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle told Reuters.
Flash floods caused rivers to swell their banks and spread thick mud across populated areas, burying houses and creating difficult conditions for rescuers.
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The Nepali army has now deployed 2,000 military personnel for land and aerial search and rescue operations in hard hit areas.
Shocking footage and images of the flooding have been shared online showing walls of mud and water completely destroying buildings, while others show people attempting to run away as the water sweeps in.
The number of missing tourists has risen from 403 to 579, according to Nepali police.
Yesterday (Wednesday 26 August), the Nepal Tourist Board said those missing included 33 British nationals.
There are also 47 people from the US, 34 from Australia, and 24 from Canada.
Tour operator Alpine Eco Trek said a 13-year-old girl was among the missing British nationals, as well as two Irish citizens.
Among the missing British nationals are three men aged 65, 64, and 52, and seven women aged 44, 47, 51, 60, 63, 63, and 65, according to travel logs obtained by the Press Association.
Alpine Eco Trek manager Kumar Adhikari, told the Press Association: “I feel so sad. We are just thinking about what to do next.
“We are in pain at the moment, deep pain.”
The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it was ‘deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation’.
It added: "British nationals in Nepal should follow local authority advice and exercise caution while travelling."
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Wednesday that the Government will do 'everything we can' to support British nationals in Nepal following the floods.
Survivor Kalpana Malla, from Nepal’s Nuwakot district, told the BBC: “My family members were swept away by the flood in front of my eyes.”
She said that 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.”
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’.
In its analysis, the USGS said: “This event was initially reported as a magnitude 4.4 earthquake.
“Additional analysis of nearby seismic stations, long period seismic waves, and satellite imagery led to the determination that the seismic event was instead a glacial collapse and debris flow, and that no earthquake had occurred.”
Claire Reid