'Nothing Is Left': Eyewitnesses Recall Horror Of Nepal Flash Floods That Killed 270

Giri Lal has been left with only memories of his wife and four children after Wednesday's devastating flash floods swept through Timure, a border town in Nepal's Rasuwa district.

The 38-year-old was among those caught in a disaster that unfolded with such terrifying speed that witnesses said it felt like an earthquake.

The floods swept away Lal's wife, two sons and two daughters. Lal, who drives a truck for the local waste management office, is undergoing treatment at a state-run hospital in Kathmandu, around 160 km from Timure.

The death toll from the massive flash floods rose to 270 on Thursday as rescuers raced against time to find hundreds of people still missing in one of Nepal's worst disasters in recent years.

Families Search For Missing Loved Ones

The floods struck parts of central Nepal on Wednesday after an ice-rock avalanche upstream blocked the Lhende tributary of the Bhote Koshi River, sending a debris-laden surge downstream. The torrent first struck Timure, near the Nepal-Tibet border, before spreading to other districts.

"We have been showing their pictures to people and asking if anyone has seen them," Lipa Sapkota said as she stood outside the emergency section of Bharatpur Hospital with a photograph of her brother, Sabi, who has been missing since Wednesday morning.

"There were some dead bodies, but they were not easy to identify because of their condition," Sapkota told the Setopati.com news portal.

'It Felt Like An Earthquake'

For another eyewitness, the first indication of the disaster came while he was having breakfast.

"I was at home this morning. While I was eating breakfast at around 8:40 am, news came that a flood had hit Timure. I heard people saying, ‘Timure is completely gone, nothing is left'," he told the Nepal News web portal.

"It felt like an earthquake was happening. It was impossible to figure out what was taking place. Right before our eyes, the market and the settlement were devastated," he said.

Several videos on social media showed buildings, people and animals being swept away by the several-feet-high torrent of mud and water. The scale of the destruction became clearer as rescue teams reached the affected areas.

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Hundreds Missing, Roads And Bridges Damaged

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) reported more than 800 people missing. Officials said at least 579 of them were tourists.

Nepal Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said nearly 300 Indian tourists were among thousands reportedly missing.

According to officials, most of the tourists were travelling towards Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet and Gosainkunda in Nepal.

The floods also damaged 35 motorable bridges, 45 suspension bridges and around 40 km of black-topped roads, mainly in central Nepal.