Govt intensifies rescue operations as Bhotekoshi flood devastates Rasuwa border towns

KATHMANDU: The government has rapidly accelerated search, rescue and relief operations after flooding struck Syaphrubesi, Timure and adjacent areas of Rasuwa district early this morning.

Chief District Officers have been instructed to relocate residents living in high‑risk lower riparian zones to safer areas, and official advisories are being issued continuously to move other citizens who may face risk from the floodwaters.

The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM) has directed relevant bodies to halt traffic along flood-threatened routes, specifically the Prithvi Highway, the Galchhi–Nuwakot–Rasuwa Syaphrubesi road and the Muglin–Narayangadh road.

Following instructions from Prime Minister Balendra Shah, emergency agencies mobilised their response mechanisms to step up rescue, search and relief efforts in the flood-ravaged zones. The district-level disaster management authority has similarly heightened its operations.

Joint operations involving Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, Nepal, District Administration and Nepali Army are actively carrying out search and rescue activities. Under direct orders from PM Shah, two Nepali Army helicopters equipped with medical personnel have been dispatched to the affected areas, and private sector helicopters have been placed on standby to assist if required.

A meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) is currently underway at the Ministry of Home Affairs. PM Shah also convened a meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council for 11:00 am at the OPMCM to address the crisis.

Meanwhile, a severe flood in the Bhotekoshi this morning has caused significant damage in Rasuwa. Assistant Chief District Officer Druba Prasad Adhikari told local media that the flood in the Lhende Khola (Bhotekoshi) has caused immense destruction at the Rasuwa border point. He said Timure and an adjoining settlement have been devastated, and a large number of vehicles and other items in the Rasuwa Customs Office area have been swept away. A newly constructed bridge has also been washed away.