Nepal's Dhading Residents Evacuate as Fresh Flood Warnings Issued

Residents of Nepal's Dhading district moved to higher ground early Sunday after authorities issued fresh flood warnings, following new information from China about increased water flow upstream.

Dharam Raj Uprety, chief executive of Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), said the warning came after Chinese authorities shared data indicating a surge in water levels upstream.

The disaster authority and the Flood Forecasting Division issued early-morning alerts to residents of Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading districts, advising them to remain vigilant amid reports of renewed flooding in the Bhotekoshi river. Officials in Rasuwa district reported hearing the sound of a strong flood surge in the river.

Local resident Atma Shrestha described receiving an SMS alert from the flood control department, followed by police and army personnel informing residents of an approaching second phase of flooding. "There is some deposit and there is a burst and the flood is coming. Move to a safe place. So we came to some height from the ground level," Shrestha said.

Aid worker Prakash Ragal noted that people living near river banks have been asked to move away as the danger of flooding has increased.

The combined death toll in Nepal and Tibet has risen to 691, with over 3,000 people reported missing. China's latest update on Sunday reported 16 deaths and 546 missing, while Nepal's disaster agency said late Saturday that the death toll had climbed to 675 with 2,498 people missing.