Kathmandu, August 28
Bidur Municipality Deputy Mayor Prabha Bogati has said a shortage of personnel on the ground is hampering rescue operations and the management of bodies following the Bhotekoshi flood.
Speaking to Onlinekhabar, Bogati said helicopters and relief supplies had reached the area, but blocked roads were making it difficult to deliver assistance to affected riverside settlements.
She said additional trained security personnel and volunteers were urgently needed to clear debris, search for survivors and recover bodies.
“Field teams have not been able to reach places that are just five minutes away because helicopters cannot land and roads are blocked,” Bogati said.
She said several bodies had been swept down the river, with reports of a large number of bodies in Belkotgadhi. Failure to manage them could create health risks for nearby communities, she warned.
Bogati also said authorities were trying to reunite children who were separated from their parents when the flood struck while they were at school, but a lack of resources was making the effort difficult.
She said access from Kathmandu to Bidur via Chhahare remains open, but reaching the flood-hit riverside areas from Bidur is difficult.
Rescue and medical teams are treating the injured at Trishuli Hospital, the Nepal Army training centre and private medical facilities, while seriously injured patients are being referred to Kathmandu.
