Nepal President Urges Nationwide Intensification of Search for Missing

Nepal's President Ram Chandra Paudel issued an urgent appeal Wednesday for security forces, the government, and civil society to mobilize all available resources for rescue operations after a flood struck the northern part of the country. The call emphasizes the need to intensify search and relief efforts in the wake of the disaster.

Search teams are actively working to locate hundreds of people missing in the affected region. The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) reported that at least 384 travelers are unaccounted for. This includes 93 Nepali citizens and 291 foreign nationals from countries such as India, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, South Africa, the United States, Australia, and the Netherlands.

The Nepalese government has declared the affected areas in the Rasuwa district, situated near the border with China's Tibet, a disaster zone for three months. The flood has already claimed at least 16 lives and left hundreds missing. Initial findings suggest that an earthquake in Tibet may have triggered a landslide, temporarily blocking the river's course and leading to the subsequent surge.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recorded a magnitude 4.4 earthquake in the Tibetan area near the Nepalese border early Wednesday. The quake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers, with its epicenter approximately 77 kilometers north-northwest of Kodari, Nepal.

“

In this moment of crisis, I call on the government, political parties, social organizations, all agencies, including the security forces, and the general public to intensify rescue and relief efforts.