104 dead in floods in Nepal after relentless monsoon rains

Residents of Nepal’s flood-hit capital returned to their mud-caked homes on Sunday to survey the rubble of devastating floods that killed at least 104 people across the Himalayan republic.

Deadly rain-induced floods and landslides occur frequently across South Asia during the monsoon season from June to September. However, experts believe that climate change is increasing their frequency and severity.

Entire neighborhoods in Kathmandu were flooded over the weekend, with flash flooding in rivers that flow through the capital and significant damage to highways connecting the city to the rest of Nepal.

Kumar Tamang, who lives in a riverside slum area, told AFP that he and his family had to flee after midnight on Saturday because water was pouring into his hut.

“We came back this morning and everything looks different,” said the 40-year-old.

“We couldn’t even open the doors to our house, it was full of mud,” he added. “Yesterday we were afraid the water would kill us, but today we have no water to clean.”

According to the Nepalese Interior Ministry, 104 people were killed across the country and another 64 are still missing.

Ministry spokesman Rishi Ram Tiwari told AFP that bulldozers were being used to clear several highways blocked by debris, cutting Kathmandu off from the rest of the country.

“More than 3,000 people were rescued,” he added.

At least 14 of those killed were in two buses and were buried alive when earth from a landslide fell onto a highway south of Kathmandu, Dhading district chief Rajendra Dev Pandey told AFP.

The valley where the capital lies recorded 240 millimeters (9.4 inches) of rain in the 24 hours to Saturday morning, the country’s weather office told the Kathmandu Post newspaper.

It was the highest rainfall recorded in the capital since at least 1970, the report said.

Chest deep water

The Bagmati River and its many tributaries that flow through Kathmandu burst their banks after midnight on Saturday, flooding nearby homes and vehicles.

Residents struggled through chest-deep water to reach higher ground.

More than 3,000 security personnel were deployed to support the rescue efforts with helicopters and motorboats.

Rescue teams used rafts to carry survivors to safety.

Domestic flights to and from Kathmandu resumed on Sunday morning after weather forced a complete halt from Friday evening and more than 150 departures were cancelled.

The summer monsoon brings South Asia 70-80 percent of its annual rainfall.

Monsoon rains from June to September bring widespread death and destruction across South Asia every year, but the number of deadly floods and landslides has increased in recent years.

Experts say climate change has worsened their frequency and intensity.

A landslide that shook a road in Chitwan district in July sent two buses carrying 59 passengers into a river.

Three people escaped alive, but authorities only managed to recover 20 bodies from the accident as tidal waves made the search difficult.

More than 260 people have died in rain disasters in Nepal this year.

© 2024 AFP