Kathmandu, September 2, 2026 — Prime Minister Balendra Shah has defended the government's response to the devastating Bhote Koshi flood, telling the Federal Parliament that 11,993 people have been rescued, 1,114 bodies recovered and search operations are continuing for 3,916 people who remain out of contact.
Addressing Parliament on Wednesday, Shah presented a detailed account of the government's response to the disaster, from the initial emergency warnings and deployment of security forces to ongoing search and rescue operations, relief distribution, medical treatment and infrastructure restoration.
According to Shah, the government received information about the flood in Rasuwa at 8:45 am on August 26. Authorities began urging people in vulnerable settlements to move to safer locations at 9 am, followed by an emergency meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority at 9:15 am.
Warning notifications were sent to mobile phones at 9:35 am, and a Nepali Army helicopter was dispatched for rescue operations at 9:45 am, he said.
At 10 am, an emergency meeting of the Army's Monsoon Command Post decided to intensify search and rescue operations and mobilize additional resources. A Search and Rescue and Emergency Response Team was placed on standby at Tribhuvan International Airport at 10:30 am, while personnel from the Nepali Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force, Nepal were mobilized from Kathmandu and other districts.
