Uttargaya Still Has No Count of Missing as Rescue Efforts Lag

In Uttargaya, authorities are still unable to determine how many people died or remain missing after the floods that struck Nepal on Aug. 26. Rescue efforts have been slowed by destroyed settlements, severed communications and the loss of local government offices.

The government has designated 15 local units as disaster crisis-hit areas. Four of the five local units in Rasuwa district are on the list: Uttargaya, Gosainkunda, Kalika and Amachhodingmo. Uttargaya is the district’s second-worst affected local unit after Gosainkunda.

“

There is no phone contact there. With no electricity, people cannot charge their phones.

Officials have not established the condition of residents in Ward No. 1, known as the Tiru area. The settlement lies across the Trishuli River at a higher elevation. Other damaged areas include Mailung, Salletar, Simle, Pahirebesi, Betrawati, Kaidletar and Naubise. Jayaram Upreti, Uttargaya’s chief administrative officer, said information indicated that about 150 flood victims were still waiting to be rescued.

“

Since there are settlements where nothing remains and there is no communication, we have not been able to establish the number of missing people.

“There is no phone contact there. With no electricity, people cannot charge their phones,” Upreti said. The lack of communication has prevented officials from confirming the number of casualties or identifying how many residents remain alive and safe.

Children sheltering at a school have helped authorities trace missing family members. Information gathered from survivors in the Khalte area shows that the parents of 40 children are missing, while 27 children have only one parent accounted for. Upreti said the figures could rise. The Bhotekoshi flood also swept away virtually all government offices in Uttargaya, including the municipality’s main building and two ward offices.

“

This is the data we have at present. The number could increase.