The death toll from sudden floods and devastating landslides in Nepal has risen to 469, with thousands of people still reported missing.

Nepali newspaper The Kathmandu Post reported the development on Friday.

According to the report, police said the death toll from Wednesday’s devastating flood in the Bhotekoshi River had risen to 469. Rescue teams are continuing to search along the river and in downstream areas for survivors and bodies. However, thousands of people remain missing.

The disaster struck Rasuwa and surrounding districts in northern Nepal on Wednesday morning. The floods sent torrents of water and debris rushing through the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers. Homes, bridges, roads and other infrastructure were swept away, while local communities and tourists in some areas became cut off from the rest of the country.

Authorities are still compiling reports of deaths, injuries and missing people from different districts, leaving the full scale of the disaster unclear.

A large number of tourists and trekkers are among those missing. The Nepal Tourism Board said Thursday night that a total of 667 tourists and travelers, including 127 Nepalis, were still missing in the flood-affected areas.

The Tourism Board, Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Tourist Police and other tourism-related agencies are collecting and verifying information about the missing travelers.

They are also coordinating with travel agencies, trekking companies, guides, local authorities and security agencies as part of search and rescue operations.

The Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force have been deployed for search, rescue and evacuation operations. Helicopters are being used to reach isolated areas and evacuate survivors, while ground teams are searching riverbanks and downstream settlements.

The floods have caused severe damage to communication networks and other infrastructure, making it difficult for rescue teams to reach affected communities.

The exact cause of the sudden and devastating flooding is still under investigation. The floods struck the Himalayan foothills with little or no warning and rapidly spread through the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river systems, leaving people in vulnerable areas with little time to reach safety.

Source: The Kathmandu Post