Nepal floods: Death toll crosses 200 as rescue efforts intensify

Heavy rains in Nepal have caused flooding and landslides, resulting in 209 deaths and 29 missing. Rescue efforts are ongoing.

Published on: Sep 30, 2024, 22:06:44 IST

By HT News Desk

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Flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rains in Nepal over the weekend have killed 200 people, even as rescue efforts intensifed on Monday.

In this aerial image of the Kathmandu valley, a locality is swamped in mud in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024 in the aftermath of a flood caused by heavy rains. (AP)

Nepal's home ministry said 209 people had been killed across the country with another 29 still missing.

"We intensified aerial rescue for people who are sick or still need to be brought to safety," home ministry spokesman Rishi Ram Tiwari told AFP.

Most deaths took place in Kathmandu, where large parts of the city were submerged. A deadly landslide near a blocked highway 16 kilometres from Kathmandu buried several vehicles, killing three dozen people who were sleeping in the area. All highways out of Kathmandu were blocked due to landslides, but workers managed to temporarily clear the Prithvi Highway.

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The government has announced temporary shelters for those who lost their homes, as well as financial aid for the families of the deceased and the injured. Prime minister Khadga Prasad Oli, returning from the UN General Assembly, called an emergency meeting to address the crisis.

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Schools, colleges closed for 3 days

Rescue and recovery efforts have gained pace as weather improved. Residents in southern Kathmandu have started cleaning their flooded homes as water levels recede.

Schools and colleges across Nepal will remain closed for three days.

Nepal grapples with record-breaking rainfall, climate change likely factor

Nepal's weather bureau reported record-breaking rainfall in the 24 hours leading up to Saturday morning. A monitoring station at Kathmandu airport recorded around 240 millimetres of rain, the highest since 2002.

Climate expert Arun Bhakta Shrestha from ICIMOD said that rainfall should usually decrease by late September as the monsoon season ends. "This kind of rainfall is abnormal," he said. "It is an extreme event, and climate change likely played a role."

Shrestha also pointed out that unplanned urban development worsened the impact of the disaster.

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HT News Desk
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