14 killed in floods near Nepal’s Mount Annapurna
Pokhara (Nepal) , May 5 :A flooding river near one of Nepal’s most popular Himalayan resorts has killed 14people and left 17 missing.Three Russian tourists were among the people lost when the river burst its banks and swept away a village today.
Fast-flowing floodwaters from the swollen Seti River smashed into two buildings and a number of shacks in Kharapani village, in the shadow of Mount Annapurna, one of Nepal’s most popular tourist destinations.
“There are 14 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 deployed to the area. We have army rescue teams scouring five villages for survivors.”
River flooding normally occurs later in the year, during the monsoon season, and the cause of the disaster was not immediately clear.Experts on glacial lake and glacier have clarified that the Machhapuchre mountain avalanche was not caused by ‘glacier explosion’.
Pradeep Mool, a glaciologist at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), said a combination of an avalanche and landslide were likely triggers.”It’s possible that those two dammed the river for a few hours or even whole night and it burst later, resulting in the flood.”
The Annapurna region attracts thousands of trekkers, both local and foreign, each year.At 8091m, Annapurna is one of the world’s 14 highest peaks. Thousands of trekkers visit the Annapurna region each year. May is the end of the trekking season, so not many tourists were still in the area.
It is considered both technically difficult and avalanche-prone and has a much higher death rate among climbers than Everest, the world’s highest peak. -AP/AFP
