Nepal Sounds Fresh Flood Alerts as Exhausted Communities Confront New Threat

Authorities in Nepal are warning of potential additional flooding on Sunday, urging residents in flood-affected districts to remain on high alert as water levels continued to rise in the Bhotekoshi River.

Flood warning alerts were sent to residents’ mobile devices throughout Sunday morning. Meanwhile, rescue crews worked to clear a major highway connecting Kathmandu to one of the regions hardest hit by Wednesday’s catastrophic floods.

In the town of Galchhi, residents climbed to higher ground on a nearby bridge, watching as the river roared below. People pointed to massive boulders washed downriver during earlier floods, while others on a suspension bridge over the water were quickly warned off with whistles.

Along the riverbanks, entire homes, vehicles, and farm tractors could be seen protruding from the thick, grey-brown sediment that has enveloped villages in the worst-hit areas. Rice terraces along the riverbanks suffered landslides, dropping large sections of fields into the river.

The combined death toll in Nepal and Tibet rose to 750, with over 3,000 people reported missing as of Sunday’s latest updates. Nepal’s disaster agency reported 734 deaths and 2,498 missing, while Chinese authorities confirmed 16 deaths and 546 missing, including over a hundred Nepalis and individuals from more than a dozen countries.

The latest alerts were triggered after Chinese authorities notified their Nepalese counterparts of increased water flow upstream, according to Dharam Raj Uprety, chief executive of Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.

However, survivors in the hardest-hit villages expressed exhaustion and confusion over the near-constant stream of alarms received since the initial disaster.

“Sometimes they say a flood is coming, and we have to run again to higher ground, even at night. There is also rain,” said local resident Govind Shreshta. “It’s really difficult for me. I have a 72-year-old father and 70-year-old mother. I must carry them, and I am exhausted. It continues like this for those who are still alive.”

Large concrete bridges and smaller suspension bridges were completely destroyed, isolating communities on the other side of the river and complicating access.

“Those that are there are now stuck there. Those who are here are stuck here. It’s going to be very difficult,” said Sattan Singh Tamang, 47, who was working near a bridge when Wednesday’s floods struck.

Homes and businesses that survived the flooding remained without electricity on Sunday, as twisted power line poles and tangled wires lay scattered in the mud.

The Prithivi Highway is a crucial supply route for food, fuel, and other goods entering Kathmandu from other parts of the country. While most of the highway is operational, other sections still face significant repair challenges.

AP writers Aijaz Hussain in New Delhi and Shristi Kafle in Kathmandu, Nepal, contributed to this report.

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