Nepal Flash Floods: 3 bodies wash up in UP as border districts brace for rising rivers

Maharajganj and Kushinagar districts in Uttar Pradesh remained on high alert on Thursday with officials monitoring the water level of rivers emanating from Himalayas, especially Gandak, following Wednesday’s devastating flash flood in neighbouring Nepal.

Three bodies, believed to have been swept downstream from Nepal, were recovered from Gandak in Maharajganj district on Thursday.

Officials have been directed to ensure that residents of vulnerable villages can be evacuated immediately if the situation deteriorates. Police stations and revenue department personnel have been deployed in riverine areas and equipped to begin rescue operations when required.

In Kushinagar, District Magistrate Mahendra Singh Tanwar and Superintendent of Police Keshav Kumar inspected vulnerable riverside villages and the Valmikinagar barrage. Residents were advised to stay away from the river and low-lying areas and remain alert to official advisories.

Similarly, in Maharajganj, senior officials, including Additional DM Prashant Kumar, have been deployed in vulnerable riverine areas to monitor the water level and flow of the Gandak, Darjaniya, Tail Fall and other rivers and water channels receiving water from Nepal.

The administration has also directed officials to use loudspeakers to alert residents of vulnerable villages. Drinking water, mobile toilets and other essential facilities are being arranged as a precaution.

The UP government said its immediate priority was to safely evacuate stranded Indian citizens from Nepal and ensure that residents of vulnerable border villages have timely access to relief and rescue assistance.

Three bodies, including those of two women, were spotted by a rescue team of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) being carried by the strong current of the Gandak river in Maharajganj. The team used a motorboat to retrieve the bodies and sent them to the district headquarters mortuary, officials said. Their identities have not yet been established, and the administration is coordinating with authorities in Nepal to trace their relatives.

SSB Inspector Arun Pandey said three bodies are believed to have been swept into the Gandak from Nepal. With the river flowing rapidly following heavy flooding in Nepal, officials said more bodies could potentially be carried downstream.

Meanwhile, administration and police officials are monitoring the Gandak, known as the Narayani in Nepal, as well as other rivers and water channels emanating from Nepal.

The UP government has deployed one SDRF platoon comprising 32 personnel, along with 22 personnel of the 26th Battalion of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) to Nepal to assist in relief and evacuation operations.

An aluminium boat and four rubber boats are also being sent for rescue operations, while the government has said additional personnel and resources will be deployed if required.