Himalayan tsunami: Nepal flood in photos

A flash flood that swept through the Bhotekoshi in Rasuwa, a mountainous district in central Nepal, early on Wednesday has wreaked havoc in settlements along the river. At least 289 persons have been confirmed dead as of Wednesday afternoon, according to security officials, reports The Kathmandu Post. 

Twenty-five people have been rescued. Rasuwa’s settlements have been hit the hardest. The flood washed away a hydropower project and damaged other projects, including the Chilime Hydropower Project. Local authorities in Rasuwa say the full extent of damage is yet to be ascertained.

Meanwhile, the death toll from Wednesday’s flash floods has reached 289, with hundreds of others, including foreign tourists, still out of contact as of 1:30pm on Thursday, police said.

Nepali Police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle confirmed the revised death toll. 

The bodies recovered so far include 108 in Chitwan, 62 in Nawalparasi East, 27 in Dhading, 20 in Gorkha, 17 in Rasuwa, 15 in Nawalparasi West, 12 in Nuwakot, and nine in Tanahun.

According to the latest report from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, at least 826 people remain out of contact, including residents, security personnel and domestic and foreign tourists.

Of those, 44 are Nepali Army personnel, 28 are Nepal Police personnel and 13 are members of the Armed Police Force Nepal. Another 644 are tourists, including 517 foreign nationals and 127 Nepalis.

Some selected photos below show a trail of devastation caused by the flood in Timure, Syabrubesi and other downstream areas.

The flood has devastated settlements and infrastructure along the river. Photo: Nepal Photo Library

Market areas and security posts are among the sites reporting major damage. Photo: Nepal Photo Library

Nine APF personnel deployed at Timure, near the Nepal-China border, have been reported missing. Photo: RSS

Authorities are yet to confirm the cause of the floods. Handout Photo

At least 25 people have been rescued as of Wednesday afternoon. Photo: RSS

In this handout photo, officials say a landslide may have blocked a river in Tibet before the swollen river burst through. 

Authorities are urging people near the Trishuli River to stay away from riverbanks and move to safer ground. Photo: RSS

Authorities are yet to confirm the cause of the floods. Photo: The Kathmandu Post

Authorities expect the flood’s impact to weaken downstream. Photo: Nepal Photo Library

The flood swept through Timure, Syabrubesi and other downstream areas on Wednesday morning. Photo: Skanda Gautam/The Himalayan Times

A damaged market in Dhunge, Bidur Municipality–1, Nuakot, following Wednesday's flood in the Bhote Koshi River in Rasuwa. Photo: Ramhari Neupane/RSS

The Flood Forecasting Division’s technical report says authorities received information at 9:05am that a major flood had entered the Bhotekoshi from the Tibetan side.  Photo: Skanda Gautam/The Himalayan Times

Houses are partially submerged in muddy water along a river in Nepal's Nuwakot district on Wednesday. Photo: Prabin Ranabhat/AFP

The Flood Forecasting Division received information at 9:05am that a major flood had entered the Bhotekoshi from the Tibetan side. Photo: Nepal Photo Library

The devastating impact of Tarkeshwor Landslide. Photo: Nepal Photo Library

The deadly flash floods was likely caused by a huge chunk of a glacier that broke off and temporarily dammed a river. Photo: Nepal Photo Library

Nepal flood death toll reaches 289 as hundreds remain out of contact. Photo: Nepal Photo Library. Photo: Nepal Photo Library

The automatic flood-monitoring stations installed in the upper reaches of the Bhotekoshi river were also swept away by the flood. Photo: The Kathmandu Post

Army personnel rescue an elderly woman from a flood-affected area in Nepal. Photo: Nepali Times

Scientists are still piecing together information from satellite and ground-level data to figure out exactly what caused the floods. Photo: Google Earth

The United States Geological Survey on Wednesday reported a magnitude 5.2 glacier collapse that sent debris flowing downstream with catastrophic impact on communities. Photo: Google Earth

Kirti Tamang, 5, was in her classroom in Betrawati on Wednesday morning when the flood arrived with a roar. She ran uphill as fast as she could with two classmates. Her uncle found her at night in a forest. She saw her mother and older sister being swept by the raging Trisuli. Her father is a migrant worker in Malaysia. She has not spoken since being found. Photo: Suman Nepali

Harmony Colony neighbourhood in Nakkhu on Monday after the floods this weekend. Photo: Gopen Rai

Kathmandu Valley, especially its southern fringes, looks like an epicentre of a major quake following the rains. Photo: Suman Nepali

Biswas Tamang, who was found by a schoolteacher after the flood in Betrawati. Photo: Suman Nepali

The image depicts the wounds of a child inflicted by the devastating flood.  Photo: Suman Nepali

The deadly flash floods was likely caused by a huge chunk of a glacier that broke off and temporarily dammed a river. Photo: Suman Nepali

The image depicts the painted toe nail of a young woman covered in sediment outside the walls of what used to be someone’s home. Photo: Suman Nepali

The devastating impact of the flash floods triggered by the Tarkeshwor Landslide. Photo: Suman Nepali

This catastrophe is too big even for the most efficient and well-resourced post-disaster relief organisation to tackle. Photo: Suman Nepali

The US Geological Survey says "glacial collapse" triggered the wall of water and mud that tore through Nepal and Tibet. Photo: Suman Nepali

Biswas Tamang, a Class 1 student with his school ID around his neck. His schoolteachers, who found him, use the information on his ID to get ahold of his mother, who lives in a neighbouring district and had sent her child to attend an English-medium public school in Betrawati. Photo: Suman Nepali

The lush valleys of the Himalayan mountain range — home to many of the world’s highest peaks and remaining glaciers — are especially vulnerable to flooding and landslides. Photo: Suman Nepali

The flood-ravaged Trishuli Bazar area in Nuwakot. Angad Dhakal/TKP

Relatives of people missing after the Bhotekoshi flood gather at a temporary body management centre in Bharatpur seeking information about their loved ones. Ramesh Kumar Paudel/TKP

Yamuna Rokaya, who reached the Nepali Army Training Centre in Bidur, Nuwakot to search for her missing relative, breaks into tears. Photo: Hemanta Shrestha/TKP

India on Thursday handed over a second consignment of 37.5 tonnes of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief materials, to support Nepal’s flood relief and rescue efforts. Photo: Indian embassy in Kathmandu

A barrier lake formed near the confluence of the Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo rivers. Photo: CCTV