Nepal Floods and Landslides Claim Nearly 200 Lives

Heavy rainfall over the weekend triggered flooding and landslides in Nepal, resulting in the deaths of 193 people. Rescue and recovery efforts intensified on Monday.

Many of the fatalities occurred in Kathmandu, the capital, which experienced heavy rainfall, particularly in the southern part of the city. Police reported 31 people still missing.

A landslide on a blocked highway approximately 10 miles from Kathmandu killed three dozen people. At least three buses and other vehicles where people were sleeping were buried by the landslide.

Landslides blocked the three highways leading out of the city. Workers managed to temporarily open the key Prithvi highway by clearing rocks, mud, and trees that had washed down from the mountains.

The home minister announced the construction of temporary shelters for those who lost their homes and pledged monetary assistance to families of the deceased and injured.

Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli, who was returning home from a meeting on Monday, called for an emergency session, according to his office.

Improved weather conditions allowed for intensified rescue and recovery efforts.

Residents in the southern part of Kathmandu, inundated on Saturday, were cleaning up their homes as water levels began to recede. Kathmandu, the hardest hit area, suffered at least 34 deaths.

Police and soldiers assisted with rescue operations, while heavy equipment was deployed to clear landslides from the roads. The government announced the closure of schools and colleges across Nepal for the next three days.

The monsoon season commenced in June and typically ends by mid-September.

Meanwhile, in northern Bangladesh, approximately 60,000 people were affected by flooding in low-lying areas due to rainfall and rising water levels from upstream India.

The English-language Daily Star reported that people sought refuge on roads and flood protection embankments in the Lalmonirhat and Kurigram districts.

The River Teesta, which crosses the border, was overflowing at certain points. The Dharala and Dudhkumar rivers in the Rangpur region were rising but remained below danger levels, according to the Dhaka-based Flood Forecasting and Warning Center on Monday. The center predicted that water levels could start receding within a day or two.

Bangladesh, a low-lying delta nation, is crisscrossed by approximately 230 rivers, including more than 50 that cross borders.

ant