At least 12 patients who were reported missing after severe flooding hit a hospital in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, have been found dead, according to officials. The discovery brings the confirmed death toll from the monsoon floods to 217, with dozens more still unaccounted for.
Hospital Flooding
The flooding occurred at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in the Maharajgunj area of Kathmandu on Thursday night, when heavy rainfall caused the nearby Bagmati River to overflow. Water entered the hospital's basement, where the dialysis unit and emergency department were located, forcing the evacuation of more than 700 patients.
Rescue teams, including the Nepalese army and police, worked through the night to move patients to higher floors and nearby facilities. However, 12 patients, including several on dialysis, could not be located during the evacuation and were later found dead in the flooded basement.
Impact and Response
The hospital's director, Dr. Gyanendra Gurung, confirmed the deaths and said that an investigation would be conducted into the incident. He added that the hospital had not received any prior warning about the potential for flooding, despite the river being in spate.
The floods have affected several districts across Nepal, with the worst-hit areas in the southern Terai region. The government has deployed additional rescue teams and helicopters to assist with relief operations, and the home ministry has warned of more heavy rainfall in the coming days.
As the search for missing persons continues, the full scale of the disaster is still being assessed. The flooding has also damaged infrastructure, including roads and bridges, hampering rescue efforts in remote areas.
