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3 police posts and several bridges were damaged
The magnitude of the flood can be gauged from the fact that houses and shops were washed away, vehicles were submerged and many buildings were seen floating with debris. Almost every structure coming in the path of Bhotekoshi river was hit by this flood. According to reports, 3 police posts, several bridges and hydropower projects have been heavily damaged. Large parts of roads and other essential infrastructure have also been destroyed. Satellite images also indicate the disappearance of large parts of the buildings and roads in the path of the river.

Continuous increase in the number of deaths due to disaster
The death toll from this disaster is increasing rapidly in Nepal. Till Wednesday night, separate reports have revealed more than 98 deaths, while about 750 people are reported missing. Relief and rescue agencies are still searching for people in the affected areas. Nepal Police and Armed Police Force personnel are also among the missing. Initial reports suggested that more than 50 security personnel were missing. Four soldiers of Nepal Armed Police Force deployed at the border outpost in the northern area of ​​Rasuwa have also been reported missing since the flood.

According to latest reports, 750 passengers are missing. These include 291 foreign citizens and 93 Nepali citizens. Among the foreign nationals, 133 are Indians and 37 NRIs are also reported missing. Among these, a large number are people who have set out on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.

How did such a dangerous flood occur?
Investigation is underway into the cause of this flash flood that caused havoc in Nepal. The 4.4-magnitude earthquake that struck near the Tibet-Nepal border may have destabilized large sections of ice and rocks in the mountainous region, according to initial assessments by Nepalese officials and scientists. After this, an ice-rock avalanche occurred and the river route was temporarily closed. The possibility of glacier- incident and sudden accumulation of water behind this is also being investigated.

Flash flood from Tibet may affect some areas of India also.
According to scientists, water started accumulating when the river was blocked by ice, rocks and debris. When this natural barrier broke, a huge flood of water, mud and huge stones came down very fast. It has not yet been fully established that the earthquake was the direct cause of this incident. Whatever may be the reason, the river which was looking peaceful suddenly became very dangerous. People had very little time to reach safety and anyone who came in its way vanished from existence.

Many Kailash pilgrims also got hit by the flood
The most painful aspect of this disaster is to the pilgrims going on Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. When the flash flood came from Tibet towards Nepal, 77 Kailash pilgrims were present at the Tibet-Nepal Immigration Centre. Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev has told that the people of his Kailash Yatra group were at the immigration office of Gyirong while returning. During this time there was a sudden flood. According to him, the 5-storey immigration center also got hit by the strong flow of water and official information about the people present there is not yet available.According to Sadhguru, a total of 21 groups participated in his yatra. Of these, 495 people have returned safely, while 743 people were currently in Tibet, 148 people were in Nepal and 77 people were at the immigration centre. Apart from this, 3 volunteers were also present in Timure, Nepal. Sadhguru said that he himself is present in the area and along with the officials, he is trying to provide all possible help in the rescue operation. He told the affected families that their pain can be understood in this difficult time and no stone will be left unturned to save the people.

Rescue operation continues on war footing in Nepal
Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force have intensified rescue operations in the affected areas. Dozens of people have been evacuated safely through helicopters. Nepali Army has deployed several helicopters for search and rescue, while help of drones and sniffer dogs is also being taken. Nepal’s Prime Minister Balen Shah has called an emergency meeting to review the situation.The Home Minister has appealed to the people to leave the low-lying areas and go to safe and higher places. Traffic has also been stopped on many routes leading from Kathmandu to the affected areas. People are busy gathering information about their family and relatives. It is becoming difficult to get correct information due to road, electricity and communication systems being affected in many areas.

India extended its helping hand to Nepal
After this disaster, India has assured Nepal of all possible help. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Nepal’s Prime Minister Balen Shah over phone and assured India’s full support for relief and rescue operations. Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said that India has sent 10 tonnes of humanitarian aid and disaster relief material to Nepal. Apart from this, C-17 Globemaster of Indian Air Force is going to leave for Kathmandu with relief material and modern rescue equipment. The Indian Embassy has also issued helpline numbers for the families of Indian nationals stranded or affected in Nepal:

Alert in view of floods in Bihar and UP
After the devastation in Tibet and Nepal, now concern has increased about the impact of floods in India too. The increased water from Bhotekoshi and other rivers is further reaching India through the Gandak river. In Bihar, 6 districts including West Champaran have been put on alert. Gandak river passes through West Champaran, East Champaran, Saran, Muzaffarpur and Vaishali and joins the Ganga. Kushinagar, Maharajganj and Deoria in Uttar Pradesh are also being monitored. In view of the danger of increasing water in Gandak river, all 36 gates of Valmikinagar Gandak Barrage have been opened and instructions have been given to release more water in the canals. Preparations are being made to take people living in low-lying areas to safe places.

NDRF and SDRF teams fully prepared
NDRF and SDRF teams are deployed in sensitive areas. Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary on phone and assured all possible help. Additional NDRF teams have also been prepared from Delhi. Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary has formed a high level team to keep an eye on the situation. The Chief Minister has said that if needed, he himself will go to West Champaran. According to NDRF Commandant Dnyaneshwar Singh, 9 teams have been deployed in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh together. More teams have been deployed on the banks of Gandak in Kushinagar, West Champaran and Muzaffarpur. However, it is not completely clear yet to what extent the impact of the flood will reach and how severe it will be.

Did China delay in giving information about floods?
After this disaster, questions are also being raised about China’s alleged delay in giving flood information to Nepal. Some initial reports have claimed that Nepal received information about the flood with a delay of about 45 minutes. A question is being raised in Nepal that if information about the sudden rise of water had been received on time, then some extra time could have been given to shift people to safe places. However, the complete picture regarding this claim and the timing of the alert is not yet clear at the official level. Some experts in Nepal have also expressed apprehension that there may be a risk of another flash flood due to the natural barrier present in the upper part.

Full focus is on finding missing people
This flood that came from Tibet to Nepal changed the map of a large area within a few minutes. Bridges, roads, houses, markets and power projects were destroyed. The biggest concern now is for those hundreds of people who are unable to be contacted. These include 105 Indian citizens and the number of people who have set out on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is also large. The concerns of the families about the 77 passengers present at the Gyirong Immigration Center are also increasing. Rescue teams are searching for people amid the debris and mud. Rescue operations are underway in both Nepal and China, but the scale of the devastation is so great that the challenge before the relief and rescue teams is extremely difficult.