KATHMANDU, AUGUST 27 A flash flood ripped through the Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts on Wednesday morning, killing at least 162 people as of 8:00 am of Thursday and leaving hundreds missing, according to a Nepal Police spokesperson. The flood struck the Bhotekoshi River at about 8:40am, devastating border settlements, hydropower sites and infrastructure along the Kathmandu-Kerung trade corridor before draining into the Trishuli River basin. The National Authority for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management's preliminary analysis of satellite imagery from Planet Labs showed the source of the flood as an ice-rock avalanche some 20 kilometres northeast of the Rasuwa-Rasuwagadhi border crossing. The Lhende River, a tributary of the Bhotekoshi, was dammed by the slide before debris surged through Timure and poured into the Trishuli. Chitwan accounted for the highest number of casualties with 64 bodies and Dhading (27), Nawalparasi East (26), Nawalparasi West (2), Nuwakot (12), Gorkha (20) Tanahun (9) and Rasuwa (2). Nepal Police also said 28 officers still are missing in the disaster. Separately, 41 injured people are currently being treated in hospitals throughout the region, including 20 at TUI Teaching Hospital in Maharajgunj, 9 at Trishuli Hospital, 4 at the Trauma Centre, 3 at Bir Hospital and Norvic Hospital, and 1 at Birendra Military Hospital in Chhauni. Infrastructure damage has been extensive, with 19 motorable bridges destroyed and 40 kilometres of paved highway rendered impassable, severing transportation routes and complicating rescue efforts. Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said the flood caused 'extreme damage' in Timure, Syafrubesi, Betrawati, Trishuli Bazaar and Devighat, cautioning that only 'preliminary information' was available.He urged heightened alertness along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli riverbanks in Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha and Chitwan districts, where risk remains high. Authorities have asked the public to avoid the Galchhi-Nuwakot and Syafrubesi roads in Rasuwa and the Mugling-Narayangadh road until further notice. The Cabinet has declared Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading 'disaster crisis areas,' clearing the way for domestic and international relief funding, and designated the affected district a disaster-prone zone for three months. The government says it is providing free medical care to the injured, relocating displaced residents and mobilising the army and private helicopter operators for search and rescue. 114 rescued by air The Prime Minister's Secretariat says the Nepali Army and private helicopter operators have airlifted 114 people to safety. The army accounted for 85 of those rescues, flying 60 people from Timure to Dhunche, 13 from Timure to Trishuli, five from Mailung, four from Betrawati and three from Trishuli, all onwards to Kathmandu. Private operators rescued the remaining 29: Kailash Helicopter, Prabhu Helicopter and Fishtail Air each flew five injured people to TU Teaching Hospital in Maharajgunj; Simrik Air made two runs, bringing three and then two more; Annapurna Helicopters brought four; Everest Air brought two; and a second Prabhu Helicopter flight brought two people to Bir Hospital. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority has also asked helicopter and drone operators-including the Air Service Operators Association Nepal and the Nepal Drone Association-to coordinate search and rescue with district administrations, security agencies and local governments, and is advising stranded residents to light fires and produce smoke to signal their location. International aid mobilising India, China and the World Bank have moved quickly to coordinate financial assistance, the Ministry of Finance said. World Bank Country Director for Nepal David Sislen told Finance Minister Swarnim Waglé that up to Rs 25 billion could be mobilised in emergency assistance from various sources. India has requested a list of urgently needed relief materials, with Foreign Minister Khanal coordinating delivery of Indian supplies to Kathmandu. China, through Ambassador Zhang Maoming, has pledged immediate cash assistance and directed the Finance Ministry to begin the fund-transfer process. Waglé is coordinating with relevant agencies on how the aid will be received and used.