By Sulyman Gobir
Families searched hospitals and police helpdesks in Kathmandu on Thursday, for relatives missing after devastating floods along the Nepal-Tibet border killed at least 180 people.
At Bir Hospital, relatives moved between officials and lists of victims in a desperate search for information about hundreds of people still unaccounted for.
Subash Khatani was among those searching for his elder brother, Ram Sharan Rasaili, who went missing in Rasuwa district.
“My elder brother Ram Sharan Rasaili is among those missing in Rasuwa. That’s why we are out searching for him,” Khatani said.
A powerful surge of water and mud swept through communities along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers on Wednesday. Nepali police said they had recovered 177 bodies.
Rasuwa, in northern Nepal, suffered the first impact of the disaster. Floodwaters later travelled more than 160 kilometres south, affecting seven districts and reaching Chitwan near the Indian border.
The cause of the disaster remained under investigation. The US Geological Survey said a glacial collapse triggered seismic activity that caused catastrophic flooding downstream in Nepal and Tibet.
Families await news
Chitra Bahadur Nepali, 52, was searching for his nephew, Yubraj Sewak, a driver who had been travelling towards Rasuwa when communication with him stopped.
“My nephew was on his way to Rasuwa and was in contact with my sister until about 8:00 am yesterday,” Nepali said.
He said the family had found no information about Sewak on the lists released so far and had another relative missing.
Rescue teams continued to search flood-hit communities for survivors while families visited hospitals and police helpdesks to trace missing relatives.
Bir Hospital said it would provide free treatment to victims and had prepared to receive more patients, according to local media reports.
Hundreds remain missing
Nepal’s disaster management authorities said 823 people, including 579 tourists from Nepal and other countries, remained unaccounted for.
In Tibet, Chinese state media reported three deaths and said 558 people, including 260 foreigners, remained missing.
Authorities continued rescue and recovery operations in the affected areas as they searched for survivors and worked to identify those still missing.
