Nepal’s flood and landslides death toll rises to 170, several missing

At least 170 people have died, and 42 others are missingafter torrential rains combined withfloods and landslides wreaked havoc on Nepal in the past few days, PTI reported, citing officials.

Nepal police said search and rescue operations are underway across the nation. The police said the death toll is expected to rise as reports came in from villages across the country.

Rescuer workers recovered 14 bodies overnight from two buses headed to Kathmandu that were buried in a landslide on a highway near the capital city.

The authorities said 170 people have been killed, 111 people have sustained injuries and 42 others are missing in floods, landslides and inundation.

Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs spokesperson, Rishiram Pokharel, said the government has mobilized all security agencies for search and rescue operations. The Nepal Army has airlifted 162 people from across the country, he added.

Pokharel further said the Nepal Army, Nepal Police, and Armed Police Force personnel have jointly rescued nearly 4,000 people affected by floods and inundation and distributed necessary relief materials, including food grains, among the needy.

National Highways

Pokharel said National Highways have been blocked since Saturday. Efforts are underway to clear the roads obstructed by landslides. Kathmandu remained cut off as the main highways out of the city were blocked by landslides. Three highways, including the key Prithvi highway that connects Kathmandu to the rest of the country, have been blocked by landslides, AP reported.

A 6.8-kilometre road section falling on the Tribhuvan Highway has been blocked due to a mudslide that has buried multiple vehicles.

"We are suspecting four buses were buried in the debris, three already are visible and we are excavating another one as well," ANI quoted Gautam KC, Chief of the Dhading District Police, as saying

The flood damaged at least 322 houses and 16 bridges across Nepal, he added.

Kathmandu's main river, the Bagmati, was flowing above danger levels after incessant rain lashed much of eastern and central Nepal on Friday and Saturday, a report published by ICIMOD said.

Climate Change

A low-pressure system in the Bay of Bengal and the more northerly than usual position of the monsoon trough was the reason behind Saturday's exceptionally intense rain, the ICIMOD report read.

Scientists say that while climate change is changing the amount and timing of rainfall across Asia, a key reason for the rise in the impact of floods is the built environment, including unplanned construction, especially on floodplains, which leaves insufficient areas for water retention and drainage.

Nepal has already recorded above-average rainfall this season. According to the Met Office data, the country received 1,586.3 millimetres of rainfall as of Friday morning since the monsoon entered on June 10, 107.2 per cent -7.2 per cent above the average monsoon rainfall.