Two from Assam’s Karbi Anglong missing after flash floods in Nepal

Two persons from Assam’s Karbi Anglong district have gone missing following devastating flash floods in Nepal, officials said on August 28.

Three youths from the district had travelled to Nepal in search of employment when the disaster struck. While two have remained untraceable, the third person is safe, a district administration official said.

The trio had been employed by a company and were working at a site near the Trishuli River when the flash floods hit the area.

The missing persons have been identified as Rituparna Brahma and Montri Basumatary, while the survivor is Someswar Narzary. All three are from the Langhing area of Karbi Anglong.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier said efforts were being made to ensure the safety and safe return of people from the state stranded in Nepal.

The Assam government has also set up a flood-related emergency help desk at Assam House in New Delhi to assist those affected.

The helpline numbers are 011-23010299/98 and 28877111, while 9101089151 (Anuran Medhi) and 892057057 (Vinod Kalita) have also been made available for assistance.

Meanwhile, the death toll from the flash floods in central Nepal rose to 547 on Friday, with more bodies being recovered.

A total of 1,545 injured and stranded people have so far been rescued from various affected areas, of whom 84 are undergoing treatment at hospitals in Kathmandu.

Search and rescue operations continued for the third consecutive day, with 7,451 security personnel deployed, including 2,391 personnel from the Nepal Army, according to a Nepal Police statement.

The disaster was triggered on Wednesday when an ice-rock avalanche caused by a glacial collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border sent a torrent of water, mud and debris downstream through central Nepal.

The floods devastated towns and villages, washing away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges and damaging hydropower projects.