The death toll from the devastating floods in northern Nepal has climbed to 270, the Nepal Police said in a statement on Thursday.
As many as 644 tourists have been reported missing following the flash floods, according to the latest report from the Nepal Tourism Board.
Among the missing are 127 Nepali nationals and 517 foreign tourists from about 30 countries, the report said.
Rescue and search operations are continuing in the affected areas, with authorities working to locate missing people and recover more bodies.
Rescue teams have airlifted 305 people, while 7,451 security personnel have been mobilized for search and rescue operations, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said.
A massive flash flood swept through Nepal's Bhote Koshi River Wednesday morning, affecting three districts, Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading, and causing widespread damage, officials said.
The local roads in Nuwakot were blocked due to this disaster. Rescue workers are carrying out emergency repairs and advancing further into the disaster-stricken area.
Death toll rises to 270 in Nepal's flood
Death toll rises to 270 in Nepal's flood
Prolonged heat and low rainfall have caused water levels on the Danube River in Bulgaria to drop sharply since early summer, leaving most sections unnavigable by late August and forcing many farmers to struggle to get their grain to market.
Zarko Ivanov, a grain producer from northwestern Bulgaria, said his wheat harvest was good this year, but he was unable to ship it because vessels could not navigate the Danube River.
"The Danube River is normally our main route for transporting grain. This year, because ships cannot travel on the river, we have to use trucks. But trucking is too expensive. So even though we had a good harvest, we lost money," said Ivanov.
"This year's weather has been too dry. Both our spring and autumn harvests were good, but we couldn't transport them. We don't know whether the weather will get better after summer," said Ivan Parvanov, another grain producer from northwestern Bulgaria.
Grain exports are an important part of Bulgaria's foreign trade. The country's wheat, corn and sunflower seeds are sold in large quantities to Greece, Germany and Nordic countries.
In 2025, Bulgaria's agricultural exports exceeded 7 billion euros (about 8.2 billion U.S. dollars). Most of Bulgaria's grain-producing areas are in the north and west, while its main export ports are on the Black Sea coast in the south. In previous years, most grain from production areas to ports was transported via the Danube, but this year the vital artery has been blocked by drought.
With the sunflower seed harvest approaching in autumn, Ivanov is becoming even more anxious.
"In all my years of farming, this is the first time I have had a good harvest but could not move it. Now I am losing money by using trucks just to empty the warehouse, because the sunflower seeds will be harvested soon," said Ivanov.
Drought halts Danube River shipping, stranding Bulgarian grain
