Massive flood ravages Thame village in Nepal's Everest region; glacial outburst suspected

KATHMANDU: A massive flood swept through Thame village in the Everest Region of Nepal on Friday afternoon.

Laxman Adhikari, Chairperson of the Khumbu village council, confirmed that the flood caused massive destruction in the lower belt of Thame.

"It is yet to be confirmed whether the flood was caused by a glacial outburst or some other reason, but we have confirmation that the village in Thame has been ravaged by the flood. Locals, while reporting to the authorities, claimed it to be a glacial outburst," Adhikari told ANI over the phone.

The Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Village Council posted a video clip on its Facebook page, which shows the flood entering the village and inundating houses.

Thame, a traditional Sherpa village, is located at an altitude of around 3,800 meters (12,470 feet) in the Khumbu Valley.

The region lies to the west of Namche Bazaar, the main gateway to the Everest region. According to officials, security agencies have been deployed in the area, but the full extent of the destruction is yet to be assessed.

Due to the rough terrain of the mountains, it would take about three days to reach the affected area from the district headquarters of Solukhumbu district.

Thame is also the birthplace of Tenzing Norgay, the legendary Sherpa climber who, along with Edmund Hillary, first summited Mount Everest in 1953.

Earlier, on August 6, heavy rains caused the Bagmati River to rise, flooding settlements along its banks and affecting slum dwellers in Kathmandu.

Bishnu Maya Shrestha, a slum dweller, saw her tin-roofed house flooded and a portion of the land swept away by the Bagmati River's floodwaters.

"The government always talks about resettling us to safer places, but nothing has been done so far. We are still unsure whether they will relocate us or not. We have been living here for years, and the river water has entered my house multiple times," Bishnu had told ANI.