NUWAKOT: Authorities have stepped up search and rescue efforts in Nuwakot, one of the districts severely affected by the August 26 Bhotekoshi flood.
A 64-year-old woman was rescued alive from Betrawati in Bidur Municipality-10 on Saturday, 11 days after the devastating flood. Following the rescue, the District Disaster Management Committee convened a meeting in Bidur, where Dr. Bikram Timilsina, a member of the House of Representatives from Nuwakot-1 and Minister for Information and Communications, instructed authorities to continue thorough search and rescue operations for several more days.
The rescue of the woman after 11 days has provided fresh hope to ongoing efforts to locate people still missing. Nuwakot Chief District Officer Shambhu Prasad Regmi said the search had been intensified with the expectation that more survivors or missing persons could be found.
Regmi said search teams have so far covered around 30 locations across the district, with trained dogs from the Armed Police Force and Nepal Police also involved in the operation. Three additional bodies were recovered on Sunday, including two from Trishuli Bazaar in Bidur Municipality-1 and another from Sirkhali in Ward No. 3.
“We have intensified the search by examining every room and corner of houses damaged or buried by the flood. We are using the resources available with the Armed Police Force and Nepal Police and will seek assistance from the Nepal Army whenever necessary,” Regmi said. He also appealed to local residents to cooperate with and facilitate the work of security personnel involved in the search and rescue operations.
Data from the District Disaster Management Committee shows that 2,673 people have so far been reported missing in Nuwakot alone following the Bhotekoshi flood. Officials cautioned that the figure could increase as information continues to be collected and verified by local authorities.
The disaster has affected Bidur and Belkotgadhi municipalities as well as Kispang and Tarakeswar rural municipalities. Several major settlements, including Betrawati, Bhaisen, Tupche, Trishuli, Dhunge and Devighat, have sustained extensive damage and remain covered by mud and debris. The flood caused substantial loss of life and property across the affected areas.
Joint teams of security personnel have continued search and rescue operations in an effort to locate those still missing. The task has been particularly difficult because numerous homes were either buried under debris or swept away by the powerful floodwaters.
