Nepal’s flood death toll rose to 475 on Friday as authorities issued a fresh warning over rising river levels and a reported dam burst in Tibet. Rescue and road work were halted in parts of the affected region, while people near Trishuli were moved to safer areas. The latest alert has raised fears of another wave of flooding.
Nepal Police said rescue teams have recovered 475 bodies after the Bhotekoshi flood struck on Wednesday. At least 1,545 people have been rescued or injured. The Nepal Tourism Board said 667 tourists and travellers, including 127 Nepali residents, were still missing in flood-hit areas.
Police officer P Chaudhary said, “The water level is about to rise, so everyone is being stopped. Authorities evacuated people from the Trishuli area after heavy water flow from higher ground threatened to raise river levels. Police also warned that a dam on the Tibet side had burst again. The vehicles that were engaged in the operation are all returning. They are all coming back. Everyone is being evacuated from there and is being taken to a safe location. All the work has stopped. Even worse flooding is yet to come; that is why everyone is being put on alert.
Because of the flood risk, all major work, including road rebuilding, has stopped in parts of the region. The Nepali Army has also continued rescue work at a hydropower project tunnel in Rasuwa, where workers were trapped after flooding.
