The death toll from flash floods that struck northern Nepal's Rasuwa district on Wednesday has risen to 162, with hundreds of travelers still unaccounted for, according to police data released Thursday morning, Reuters reports.
The floods, which hit the district on Wednesday, left 484 travelers reported missing as of Wednesday evening, including 391 foreign nationals, according to the Nepalese Office of Prime Minister. The region is home to the Nepalese side of the Gyirong-Rasuwa border port with China.
The Nepalese government activated emergency response mechanisms on Wednesday, deploying the army, police and armed police forces for search and rescue operations.
Authorities are arranging medical treatment, temporary shelters and food supplies for displaced residents, while working to restore disrupted road access, water supply, power and communications.
The government has also designated several local administrative units in the affected areas as disaster crisis zones for a period of three months, a move aimed at streamlining rescue resources, strengthening personnel management and facilitating post-disaster recovery.
The meteorological department has forecast more rainfall in northern Nepal in the coming days, which could further hamper road access and complicate rescue efforts, with the death toll expected to rise.
