Nepal flash floods LIVE: Rescuers claw through mud as death toll rises to 675 - The Hindu

**Flash Floods Devastate Nepal, Death Toll Climbing to 675**

Kathmandu – Monsoon‑driven flash floods and a massive debris avalanche have ripped through Nepal’s western and mid‑hills, leaving a death toll that has now risen to **675** according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Home Affairs. Rescue teams, many arriving on foot and on makeshift rafts, are wading through meters‑deep mud to reach isolated villages where entire hamlets have been washed away. Hospitals in the capital are overwhelmed; emergency wards at Bir Hospital and the nearby Kathmandu Medical College are receiving a steady stream of patients with injuries ranging from lacerations to crush trauma, while doctors scramble to locate survivors still trapped under collapsed structures.

The hardest hit area, the border district of **Darchula**, has been described by Foreign Minister Pradeep Khadka as having turned into “swampland,” with flood‑water levels still receding after days of relentless rain. Khadka warned that the region remains vulnerable to further inundation as the monsoon season continues, urging neighboring Indian states to coordinate cross‑border flood‑risk monitoring. Among the countless stories emerging from the disaster, a 97‑year‑old farmer named **Gopal Shrestha** captured worldwide attention when he emerged from the rubble, brandishing a wooden stick like a warrior and urging others not to lose hope. His image has become the symbolic face of the nation’s resilience, featured in relief‑campaign posters and international news reports.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has released a preliminary analysis indicating that the flash floods were exacerbated by a sudden debris avalanche triggered by destabilized slopes after weeks of saturated ground. Satellite imagery shows the avalanche’s path converging with river channels, creating a surge that overwhelmed early warning systems. In response, the Nepali government has mobilized the Armed Forces, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Authority, and international aid agencies to distribute food, clean water, and temporary shelters to over 120,000 displaced residents. Long‑term measures under discussion include reforestation of upstream catchments, upgraded river‑bank embankments, and a community‑based early‑warning network to mitigate the risk of repeat catastrophes.

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