NEW DELHI, September 1. /TASS/. Along with searching for the missing after the flash floods in Nepal, the country’s police are trying to trace vaults with cash that have been washed away from at least 20 banks, The Times of India reported.

According to the newspaper, some of these vaults may contain large amounts of cash and other valuables.

According to Nepal’s police spokesperson, Deputy Inspector General Abi Narayan Kafle, although the top priority task for the police is to search for those missing, the police need to maintain law and order in the affected areas.

"There were banks in Rasuwa, Dhading, Chitwan, and other places that were significantly damaged. Many of their vaults containing cash and other valuable items such as gold were either washed away or got buried under heavy silt. Our personnel are now putting all their efforts to find and secure those vaults. There have been incidents where people broke open the washed-away vaults and stole cash," he was quoted as saying.

A flood struck northern Nepal on the morning of August 26. According to preliminary reports, the flooding was caused by a landslide on the border with China, about 20 kilometers northwest from the Rasuwagadhi border crossing. A powerful flow of water, dirt and rocks rushed over 70 kilometers down the riverbed, destroying nearby settlements and flooding large areas. More than 1,000 people have died and some 4,500 are still missing.