People await news of missing relatives following the floods and landslides in Nuwakot, Nepal, on Thursday. — XINHUA/VNA Photo

KATHMANDU — The death toll from Wednesday’s devastating Bhotekoshi flood and subsequent flooding downstream has reached 616, with hundreds of people still missing in Nepal, police said on Saturday.

As of 6am, police had recovered 233 bodies in Chitwan, 158 in Nawalparasi East, 48 in Gorkha, 47 in Nawalparasi West, 45 in Dhading, 41 in Nuwakot, 31 in Tanahun and 13 in Rasuwa.

Search and rescue operations are continuing across the affected districts, with police coordinating with residents and other agencies to locate missing people and assist those stranded by the floods.

Authorities are moving families from high-risk areas to safer locations and clearing roads blocked by flood debris and landslides to reopen access and facilitate relief operations.

The flood struck Rasuwa and neighbouring districts in northern Nepal on Wednesday morning, sending a powerful surge of water and debris into the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers.

It swept away homes, bridges, roads and other infrastructure, cutting off communities and travellers in several areas.

The death toll is expected to rise as search teams reach more affected areas and recover additional bodies. — THE KATHMANDU POST/ANN