Katmandu: Nearly 700 people were reported missing in devastating flash floods in Nepal on Wednesday. According to the official sources atleast 133 Indian nationals are among over 700 reported missing in the floods.

According to the security sources as many as 157 people have died, and their bodies have been recovered from the flood-hit areas. Most of the missing Indian nationals were travelling to Tibet for the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra. The flood surged through the Bhote Koshi River at about 09:00 local time from the Tibetan side, affecting Rasuwa and Dhading districts near the border, as well as Nuwakot district south-west of Kathmandu.

The flooding caused widespread damage to settlements and critical infrastructure, including at least a dozen hydropower projects. Some 403 tourists 341 of them foreigners were unaccounted for several hours after the disaster struck, according to Nepal’s tourism ministry.

The missing foreigners included Indians and others from Australia, Britain, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea and the United States, the tourism board said.

India on Wednesday night dispatched the first tranche of relief supplies to Nepal aboard a military transport aircraft. EAM S Jaishankar said India dispatched 10 tonnes of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) assistance to Nepal. The relief supplies were sent on board a C-130J aircraft of the Indian Air Force. The aircraft took off for Kathmandu from Hindon airbase near Delhi around 8:35 pm. The relief supplies included emergency items such as temporary shelters, blankets, hygiene kits, solar lamps, and medicines.