Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah said on Wednesday that the government had no choice but to confront the devastation caused by the Bhotekoshi floods with “courage and resolve”, as he briefed parliament on the disaster that has left communities in northern Nepal devastated.

Speaking in the House of Representatives, Shah said the floods were not merely a tragedy for the three worst-affected districts of Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading, but a national calamity.

“This is not only the suffering of Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading. It is a shared blow to the heart of the entire country,” Shah said.

He said the government had accepted that national leaders must provide reassurance and strength during a crisis rather than be overwhelmed by grief.

“In this hour of crisis, we have accepted the reality that the country’s leadership must provide courage, support and reassurance, not tears,” Shah said.

“We have no alternative but to fight with determination and courage, and we are fighting.”

Shah said the government began mobilising its response after receiving initial reports of the disaster. Security agencies were briefed and deployed, while local authorities warned residents to move to safer areas. People living along riverbanks were later alerted through text messages as the flood threat grew.

Nepali Army helicopters were mobilised for search, rescue and evacuation operations, while private helicopters were kept on standby, the prime minister said.

The cabinet subsequently ordered authorities to accelerate search, rescue and relief operations in the affected areas. The government declared the affected municipalities crisis-hit areas for three months and approved financial assistance for families of those killed.

It also authorised the use of helicopters to evacuate injured and stranded people, provide free medical treatment to those injured, and arrange food and shelter for people displaced by the floods.

The government also began coordinating with provincial and local authorities to restore electricity, transport links and water supplies in areas cut off or damaged by the disaster, the prime minister.

Shah said 100 beds had been allocated for flood victims at the National Trauma Centre, while other major hospitals had been placed on standby to receive casualties.

The floods struck after an ice-rock avalanche, causing widespread destruction in parts of Rasuwa and neighbouring districts. Hydropower projects and settlements along the river were among the areas badly affected, with rescue teams continuing to search for people reported missing or trapped.

The scale of the disaster has put pressure on the government to speed up rescue operations, particularly at hydropower facilities where workers and other people are believed to remain trapped.

The death toll from floods has risen to 1,127, with bodies recovered from several districts and neighbouring India, Nepal Police said on Wednesday.

As of 5am, 45 bodies had been recovered in Rasuwa, where the flooding originated, while 155 were found in Nuwakot, 59 in Dhading, 348 in Chitwan, 66 in Gorkha, 38 in Tanahun, 217 in Nawalparasi East, 190 in Nawalparasi West and nine in India.

Police said 6,541 people had been rescued from affected areas, while search operations were continuing for 4,858 people reported missing.