Bhutan: Flash Flood - Oct 1994

A UNDP/DHA resident representative reported that on 6-7 October a major flash flood hit the area of Punakha in the Bhutan Himalaya region. According to preliminary information, 22 persons were killed and many more were missing. 25 houses were washed away, 60 houses were inundated and approximately 600 persons were seriously affected. When the flood struck at 8.00 hrs in the morning, most people were away from their homes working in shops or in the fields. This was the first major natural disaster to hit Bhutan in over two decades. The high casualty level in this sparsely populated country makes the flood the worst in the written record. (UN DHA, 13 Oct 1994)