KATHMANDU, Oct 5 — Torrential rains have triggered landslides and flash floods across Nepal since Friday, killing at least 47 people, blocking major roads, and sweeping away bridges, officials said today.
KATHMANDU, Oct 5 — Torrential rains have triggered landslides and flash floods across Nepal since Friday, killing at least 47 people, blocking major roads, and sweeping away bridges, officials said today.
According to Kalidas Dhauboji, spokesperson for the Armed Police Force, 35 people were killed in separate landslides in Ilam district, which borders India in eastern Nepal.
He added that nine others remain missing after being swept away by floods, while three people were killed by lightning strikes in other parts of the country.
“Rescue operations are underway to locate the missing individuals,” said Shanti Mahat, spokesperson for Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.
Across the border, in India’s eastern hill region of Darjeeling, West Bengal, at least seven people were reported dead following landslides triggered by heavy rainfall, local media reported.
“Seven bodies have been recovered so far, and efforts are ongoing to retrieve two more,” said Abhishek Roy, a Darjeeling district police official, as quoted by India’s ANI news agency on social media platform X.
Authorities in Nepal said numerous highways have been blocked or washed away, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded. “Domestic flights have been largely disrupted, but international operations are running normally,” confirmed Rinji Sherpa, spokesperson for Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport.
In southeastern Nepal, the Koshi River — which frequently causes severe flooding in India’s Bihar state — was reported to be flowing above danger levels. Sunsari district governor Dharmendra Kumar Mishra said all 56 sluice gates of the Koshi Barrage had been opened to release excess water, compared with the usual 10 to 12, and vehicular movement on the bridge had been suspended.
In the capital, Kathmandu, heavy rainfall caused rivers to overflow, flooding streets and homes and cutting off road access to other parts of the country.
Landslides and flash floods are common in the mountainous nation during the monsoon season, which typically runs from mid-June to mid-September, and claim hundreds of lives each year.
Meteorological officials said the heavy rains are expected to continue until tomorrow, while authorities have pledged to take “maximum precautions” to assist those affected by the disaster. — Reuters
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