LIVE | Nepal floods: Toll crosses 350 amid fresh flood warning alert

36 people from West Bengal missing in Nepal

At least 36 people from West Bengal are missing in Nepal after flash floods hit the Himalayan country. Among the missing is Sharmistha Bhowmik Roy, daughter-in-law of late TMC leader Mukul Roy.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the administration was coordinating with the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu to verify information and assist in rescue efforts.

The state government has set up a 24-hour control room and is coordinating with Indian diplomatic officials in Kathmandu to trace those still unaccounted for and verify reports from families, travel agencies and local authorities.

Sharmistha, who is married to former Bijpur MLA Shubhrangshu Roy, travelled to Nepal on August 21. She was part of a group travelling towards Kailash Mansarovar and lost contact in the Kyirong area near the Nepal-China border.

Shubhrangshu said he last spoke to her late on Tuesday. “I spoke to her at 11.30 pm on Tuesday. She was fine. She was somewhere called Kyirong. Since then, we have not been able to contact her,” he told the media.

Among those missing are tourists from Kolkata, South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Hooghly, West Burdwan and Darjeeling, according to information compiled by the state government.

A 32-member group from Kolkata, including 30 tourists and two employees of a travel agency, is among the largest groups from Bengal whose whereabouts remain unknown. The group left Kolkata on August 21 and reached Nepal the following day. It was scheduled to cross the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday morning.

According to the travel agency, the group was in Kathmandu on Tuesday and sent photographs and videos from the city. On Wednesday morning, the tourists reached the immigration office at around 8.30am. Contact was lost soon afterwards.

The group was travelling towards Mansarovar through the Kyirong area when the flash floods struck. One member had travelled from the United States for the pilgrimage but is an Indian citizen.

The families of several other Bengal tourists have also reported losing contact with relatives. In Sonarpur, software engineer Lopamudra Kundu was travelling alone in Nepal. She had spoken to her family before the disaster and said she was near the Chinese border. Her family has not been able to reach her since.

In Durgapur, two couples are among those reported missing. Debashis Banerjee and his wife Sanghamitra, who travelled on August 21 for the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage, have not been heard from.

Another Durgapur couple, Arindam Ganguly and Mousumi Ganguly, also travelled to Nepal on August 21. Their families have been unable to contact them since the floods.

In Tarakeswar in Hooghly, Snehasish Dutta and travel agency employee Jayanta Sanyal are among those missing. Dutta spoke to his wife at about 7.25am on Wednesday and told her that the group was heading to the immigration office. The tourists were expected to cross into Tibet later that morning.

In Siliguri, Samar Mondal was travelling towards Kailash Mansarovar through a travel agency. He last spoke to his family on Tuesday. His elder brother has since travelled to Kathmandu to look for him. A retired teacher from Basirhat, Swapan Mondal, and his wife Mou Mondal, are also untraceable. They had travelled to Nepal about a week earlier and were scheduled to proceed towards Kailash.

In Howrah's Sankrail, 68-year-old Anita Das is missing after travelling to Nepal for the pilgrimage. Her son last spoke to her on Tuesday morning when she said she was near the Nepal-Tibet border.

The state government has urged families unable to contact relatives in Nepal to use its emergency helplines at 033-24793311 and 9147890181. Kolkata Police has also opened a toll-free helpline at 1800-345-5678.

A team of state government officials was also expected to travel to the affected area to assist with the rescue and relief efforts, official sources said. 

Reportage: Samir K Purkayastha

Elderly couple from Erode suspected to have gone missing in Nepal floods

MEA sets up 24x7 control room amid Nepal flood crisis

The Ministry of External Affairs has opened a round-the-clock control room to assist people amid the flood crisis in Nepal, where the death toll rose to 359 on Thursday. Rescuers were searching for hundreds still missing, including 288 Indian nationals.

“We have set up a control room in the Ministry of External Affairs here, which will function round-the-clock. Details of the helpline and the control room telephone numbers are being put out on our X handle, and you should be getting them soon. Our embassies, both in Kathmandu and in Beijing, have also set up 24x7 helplines,” spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

The MEA later said the control room can be reached at +91 11 2308 8718, +91 11 2308 8719, and WhatsApp at +91 9968291988. Email: [email protected].

The Indian embassy in Kathmandu can be contacted on WhatsApp at +977 985 131 6807, +977 970 910 7500 and +977 981 032 6117.

The floods from Tibet swept through central Nepal on Wednesday, damaging towns, villages, bridges and a dozen hydropower projects. India said it stands “shoulder-to-shoulder” with Nepal.

Nepal emergency contacts include Tourist Police: +977 9851289445; Nepal Army: +977 9851072914 (email: [email protected]); NDRRMA: +977 9851320269 / +977 9849281097; Rasuwa Police: +977 9851254960; Assistant CDO, Rasuwa: +977 9851164422; Nuwakot Police: +977 9851282380; Assistant CDO, Nuwakot: +977 9851248777; Dhading Police: +977 9851229860; CDO, Dhading: +977 9851247777; Chitwan Police: +977 9855013999; Assistant CDO, Chitwan: +977 9855088891.

Nepal floods: Death toll rises to 352, over 1,300 missing

At least 352 people have been killed, and more than 1,300 remain missing after a devastating torrent of water and mud swept through communities along the Nepal-China border, stated the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority of Nepal.

Rescue teams were searching the affected areas on Thursday, a day after the disaster. A wall of floodwater and mud several stories high tore through settlements, destroying buildings and bridges.

Videos from the scene showed people scrambling to escape as the rushing water engulfed communities.

The missing include scores of foreign nationals and pilgrims who were in the Himalayan region when the disaster struck. Hundreds of other people have been displaced by the floods and are in need of assistance as rescue operations continue.

Kailash Yatra visa rejection keeps Bengal woman safe from Nepal floods

A rejected visa kept 61-year-old Tapati Singha of West Bengal from joining a Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage group that was caught up in devastating floods in Nepal.

Singha was among 33 people from the state scheduled to travel on the 13-day pilgrimage organised by a Kolkata-based agency. Her Chinese visa was denied days before departure without an explanation, prompting her to change plans and visit Ladakh instead.

After floods killed 270 people in Nepal, Singha said she was cutting short her Ladakh trip and returning to Kolkata on Thursday.

The other 32 tourists from the group remain unaccounted for, officials said. The Nepal-based partner of the Kolkata travel agency has been unable to contact any of them.

Four agency officials have travelled to Nepal and were expecting information about the missing tourists by Thursday evening, the agency said.

Three bodies recovered from Gandak River in Uttar Pradesh

Three bodies, including those of two women, were pulled from the Gandak River in Uttar Pradesh's Maharajganj district on Thursday. Officials said they were believed to have been carried into India by floodwaters from Nepal.

A Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) team monitoring the river spotted the bodies being swept along by the strong current. Personnel reached them by motorboat and recovered them before taking the bodies to the mortuary at the district headquarters.

The identities of the deceased have not been established. Authorities are carrying out the required procedures, while the SSB and Maharajganj district administration are coordinating with officials in Nepal to locate the victims' relatives.

SSB Inspector Arun Pandey said three bodies believed to have come from Nepal had so far been recovered on the Indian side of the Gandak.

The river has been running fast following heavy flooding in Nepal, and authorities have warned that additional bodies could be carried downstream into India. SSB personnel are continuing surveillance along the river while assisting with rescue and relief work.

The local administration is tracking the river's water level and flow and has asked people living along its banks to remain vigilant.

Kerala tourists are safe in Nepal, say reports

A group of over 30 tourists from Kerala travelling in Nepal has been confirmed safe, according to news channels. The Kerala government has activated a helpdesk through NORKA-Roots to assist families seeking information and support.

Nepal issues fresh flood warning for Bhotekoshi river

Nepal's disaster management authorities have warned of another possible flood along the Bhotekoshi River after satellite imagery detected a growing lake near the area hit by flooding.

The lake formed when the river was blocked on Wednesday and is now filling with water, raising fears that the blockage could give way and send a sudden surge downstream.

Authorities have urged local residents and rescue personnel to keep away from the riverbanks until the threat passes.

Nepal deploys over 40 helicopter flights for flood relief

More than 40 private helicopter charter flights departed Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport on Thursday to transport relief supplies to flood-hit areas, including Rasuwa, authorities said.

The Nepal Army coordinated the flights, with its 14th battalion at the airport overseeing the movement of relief materials from a collection centre to private helicopters, Kantipur reported. More than 40 flights had been completed by 2 pm, while over 20 helicopters remained on standby.

The Ministry of Home Affairs was preparing to deploy some of the helicopters for rescue and relief operations. Nepal Army aircraft were also conducting regular missions to evacuate civilians and deliver supplies.

The floods have devastated three districts, with 93 additional bodies recovered on Thursday, taking the death toll to 270, Nepal Police said.

Armed Police Force personnel and local residents were clearing debris from blocked roads. Prime Minister Balendra Shah also visited flood-hit Bidur Municipality in Nuwakot to inspect relief efforts.

Nepal flash flood death toll crosses 330, 1,000 missing

The death toll in the flash floods in Nepal has crossed 330, while around 1,000 remain unaccounted for as rescue teams continue searching areas devastated by the disaster, reported Reuters.

At least 700 foreign tourists are among those missing after the catastrophe near Nepal’s border with China’s Tibet region swept across a road used by trekkers and pilgrims.

Rescuers are using helicopters to search for survivors and deliver emergency supplies, including tents and food, to thousands of people stranded in towns and valleys cut off by the flooding.