Kathmandu— A catastrophic flash flood struck Nepal’s Bhotekoshi River on Wednesday morning, causing widespread devastation and a significant loss of life. As of 3:00 PM local time on Friday, authorities have recovered the bodies of 538 victims while 977 individuals remain missing. Rescue efforts are ongoing, with 3,742 people successfully rescued so far, and nearly 15,000 security personnel mobilized to aid in the search.

Extent of Casualties

The flood has impacted multiple districts across Nepal, with varying numbers of bodies recovered from each. Rasuwa reported 12 fatalities, Nuwakot 37, Dhading 33, and Gorkha 46. Nawalparasi Purba accounted for 134 deaths, while Nawalparasi Paschim recorded 27. Tanahu saw 28 confirmed deaths, and the hardest-hit district of Chitwan reported a grim total of 221 bodies retrieved.

Ongoing Rescue Operations

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) is leading the rescue and recovery efforts, deploying a substantial force of 14,829 security personnel. These teams are actively searching for missing individuals and providing assistance to those affected by the disaster. The scale of the operation underscores the severity of the situation and the challenges faced in reaching all impacted areas.

Authorities continue to coordinate rescue efforts and assess the full extent of the damage caused by the Bhotekoshi flash flood, with ongoing searches for the nearly 1,000 people still missing.

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.