Death toll nears 200 in Nepal after incessant rainfall causes floods, landslides

Heavy rainfall in Nepal has triggered flooding and landslides across the country which has claimed nearly 200 lives while at least 30 people still missing, police said on Sep 30.

The incessant rainfall since Sep 27 have caused floods and landslides in various places claiming at least 192 people. The police officials further said that 94 others have been injured.

According to eyewitnesses, such a devastating flood is being witnessed in the Kathmandu Valley after almost 50 years.

"I’ve never before seen flooding on this scale in Kathmandu,” Arun Bhakta Shrestha, Climate and Environmental expert at the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) was quoted as saying.

Large parts of eastern and central Nepal have been flooded since Sep 27 with flash floods reported in several parts of the country.

Schools and colleges were shut for three days as authorities have reported significant damage to university and school buildings making repairs necessary.

"We have urged the concerned authorities to close schools in the affected areas for three days," Lakshmi Bhattarai, spokesperson for the education ministry was quoted as saying.

Some areas in the capital received up to 322.2 mm (12.7 inches) of rainfall, raising the level of the Bagmati River above danger levels. It was flowing at 2.2 meters (7 feet) above the danger mark.

The forecast suggested the rainfall to continue till Oct 1, however, the intensity of the rain had decreased by the morning of Sep 29.

A low-pressure system in the Bay of Bengal and the more northerly than usual position of the monsoon trough was the reason behind the exceptional intensity of rain on Sep 28, ICIMOD said.

Search, rescue, and relief operations are being prioritized by the government, Home Ministry Spokesperson Rishiram Tiwari was quoted as saying.

More than 4,500 disaster-affected individuals have been rescued so far by the security agencies that have been deployed across the country for search, rescue and relief efforts.

The injured are receiving free treatment, and food and other emergency relief materials have been provided to the people displaced due to floods.

Thousands of travelers are stranded as numerous roads throughout the nation are severely damaged, and all routes leading to the capital city, Kathmandu, are still blocked.

Tiwari said efforts are underway to clear the obstructed highways to resume transportation.

Earlier, two buses were caught in a landslide on a significant route in Kathmandu.

The monsoon season in the Himalayan nation usually lasts from mid-June to late September but has extended this year.

Nepal has experienced more rain than average, affecting 1.8 million people. The National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Authority (NDRRMA) has indicated that 56 out of 77 districts are at risk of potential disasters due to the rains.

In July, two passenger buses were carried away by a landslide into the rain-swollen Trishuli River near Simaltal along the Narayanghat-Mugling Highway section in Nepal. The accident claimed the lives of all the passengers of the two buses except for three people, who jumped out before the bus fell into the river.

Rohit Wadhwaney in Kathmandu contributed to the story.