Kathmandu, Nepal: The death toll from rain-triggered floods and landslides across Nepal climbed to 125 on Sunday, police reported. Since Friday, large areas of eastern and central Nepal have been inundated by flash floods, devastating communities.
According to the Armed Police Force, “64 people are missing in floods, landslides and inundation, while 61 people have been injured.” The hardest-hit area has been the Kathmandu Valley, which reported the highest number of fatalities.
In addition to the human toll, infrastructure has suffered severely, with “at least 322 houses and 16 bridges damaged.” Nearly 3,626 people have been rescued by security personnel, who are still engaged in ongoing operations.
Photo Credit: AP News
One of the most tragic incidents occurred in the Dhading district, where “at least 19 people were killed on Saturday when a bus was buried in a landslide.” Another five people perished when their house collapsed in Bhaktapur, and six football players were killed at a training center operated by the All Nepal Football Association in Makwanpur.
Eyewitnesses are shocked by the unprecedented nature of the disaster. “I’ve never before seen flooding on this scale in Kathmandu,” said Arun Bhakta Shrestha, a climate and environmental expert at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). The Bagmati River, which runs through the capital, rose above danger levels following two days of torrential rain.
Photo Credit: AP News
ICIMOD attributes the extreme weather to a low-pressure system in the Bay of Bengal and an unusual positioning of the monsoon trough. “A key reason for the rise in the impact of floods is the built environment, including unplanned construction, especially on floodplains,” the report noted, linking the situation to climate change.
Despite forecasts of continuing rain until Tuesday, some signs of easing were seen by Sunday. However, the floods have already “thrown life out of gear” in several regions, with highways disrupted, homes destroyed, and thousands of passengers stranded.
Rescue efforts are expected to continue as Nepal braces for further rain in the coming days.
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