Kathmandu | Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Wednesday briefed the House of Representatives about the devastation caused by the Bhotekoshi floods, saying that "determination and courage" are needed to fight the crisis.
Flash floods, triggered by a collapse or avalanche of ice and rock near the Nepal-Tibet border, devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal on August 26, killing over 1,100 people with over 4,800 missing.
Shah said, "In this hour of crisis, we have accepted the reality that the country's leadership must provide courage, support and reassurance, not tears," The Kathmandu Post reported. Shah said that the disaster has not only devastated the three districts -- Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading -- but it "is a shared blow to the heart of the entire country." "We have no alternative but to fight with determination and courage, and we are fighting," the prime minister said.
Talking about the rescue and relief operations, PM Shah said that the security agencies have been deployed to carry out rescue and relief operations in the affected areas, while the local authorities have warned people to move to safer areas.
He said that the army helicopters are engaged in the rescue and evacuation process, and private choppers are also on standby if the need arises. The government has approved financial assistance for the families of the victims even as the affected areas have been declared crisis-hit for three months, said PM Shah.
The government is providing free medical treatment to the injured and arranging food and shelter for people displaced by the floods, he said.
Shah informed the house that the local and provincial authorities are working together to restore electricity, water supply and transport links. According to the Nepal Police, 348 dead bodies were recovered from Chitwan, 217 from Nawalparasi East, 190 from Nawalparasi West and 155 from Nuwakot.
Similarly, 66 bodies were recovered from Gorkha, 59 from Dhading, 45 from Rasuwa, and 38 from Tanahu so far.
