Nepal flash floods: Toll rises to 270 as hundreds rescued and thousands remain missing

Kathmandu: The death toll from massive flash floods in Nepal has risen to 270, with authorities racing against time to trace thousands of people still missing, including 288 Indian nationals.

The flash floods, triggered by an avalanche that blocked the flow of the Lhende tributary of the Bhotekoshi River, wreaked havoc across several districts on Wednesday. The disaster first struck Timure, near the Rasuwagadhi border point with China.

Nepal Police said on Thursday that 93 more bodies had been recovered, taking the death toll to 270. The casualties include 108 in Chitwan, 62 in Nawalparasi East, 27 in Dhading, 20 in Gorkha, 17 in Rasuwa, 15 in Nawalparasi West, 12 in Nuwakot and nine in Tanahun, Nepal Police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle said.

More than 800 people, including those injured and stranded by the floods, have so far been rescued from the affected areas, Kafle said.

Nepal's Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said nearly 300 Indian tourists were among the thousands reported missing following the disaster. He said more than 160 people had died in the Rasuwa region alone, while thousands remained untraced.

The Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi separately confirmed that 288 Indians are missing in the Nepal floods.

Rescue and search operations are continuing in the affected areas as authorities work to locate those still unaccounted for and assess the full extent of the devastation.