Surkhet valley, Tatopani, Hariharpur, Taranga, Babiyachaur, Latikoili, Uttarganga and Sahare were the hardest hit with huge loss of lives and properties.  

The rain-swollen Khokre and Itram streams in the Surkhet valley swept away some houses, killing seven persons. Hundreds of houses in the area were inundated.

Naresh Man Shrestha, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) at Regional Police Office, said 18 bodies were found in Hariharpur, Babiyachaur, Latikoili, Uttarganga and Sahare. The identities of the dead are yet to be ascertained.

DSP Shrestha informed that about 20 people were reported missing in the floods, adding that the number of missing could surge.

He said the rescue work in the area was also affected as the flooded Bheri river swept away a suspension bridge there.

Bal Bahadur Bohara, a local school teacher, told the Post that 24 people went missing after the Bheri river swept away around 55 houses at ward No 6 and 7 in Tatopani VDC.    

Similarly, the floods in the Aanpkholi stream swept away 20 houses at Birendranagar-1, Dharapani-5 and Nayagaun. Nearly 100 houses in the area are waterlogged.

The flood also caused damage to the pipeline of Jhupra Drinking Water Project in various places and knocked off power in the area.

India to open floodgates

Responding to a request from the Nepal government, India on Friday decided to open gates of three barrages to discharge water to avoid inundation in west Nepal.

Following an emergency meeting in New Delhi on Friday evening, Cabinet Secretary of India Ajit Seth instructed the local authorities to open the slush gates of Kailashpur barrage in Kailali, Laxmanpur in Banke and Mahalisagar in Kapilvastu, according to the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu.

The barrages, built on the Indian side of the border, often cause inundation on the Nepali side during monsoon.

Earlier in the day, the Foreign Ministry had made the requested to the Indian side to open the gates citing the rising  water levels in rivers that may inundate a huge swathe of Nepali land.

India has sought real time information on the flood situation in Nepal, water levels in the rivers flowing into India as part of precaution, said a senior Indian official. India has also put three helicopters and a plane on stand by to assist Nepal on search and rescue mission should the Nepali side asks for such support. (PR)