A river near one of Nepal’s most popular Himalayan resorts killed 13 people and left 17 missing – including three Russian tourists – when it burst its banks and swept away a village yesterday.
Most of the dead appeared to be locals, said conservationist Bishnu Paudel, who described how terrified people had fled to the hills to escape the sudden deluge.
Fast-flowing floodwaters fromthe swollen Seti River smashedinto two buildings and a number of shacks in Kharapani village, inthe shadow of Mount Annapurna, one of Nepal’s most populartourist destinations.
“There are 13 dead and 17 missing, including three Russian tourists. The missing include two young students who were in a group of 16 on an outing,” said Ramindra Chhetri, a spokesman for the Nepalese Army.
“Two army helicopters and a private airliner have been deployedto the area. We have armyrescue teams scouring five villages for survivors.”
Paudel, of Annapurna Conservation Area Project, who reached the devastated site a few hours after the flood hit, said: “Most of the victims were shopkeepers in Kharapani, on the banks of the Seti River.
“Two buildings were swept away. There hasn’t been anyrain recently, so we were surprised when the flood occurred at9.30 a.m.
“The water has risen so high that it was up to a bridge.