Floods and landslides in Nepal cause 104 deaths – DW – September 29, 2024

The number of deaths from monsoon floods and landslides in Nepal rose to 104 on Sunday, with dozens of people still missing.

Authorities expect the number of victims to rise as reports come in from villages across the Himalayan country.

Heavy rains began late Thursday and have since hit large parts of the country, particularly the eastern and central regions.

Weather conditions improved on Sunday, allowing rescue, recovery and clean-up work to continue.

Kathmandu hit hard

Over half of the deaths were recorded in the capital Kathmandu and surrounding districts.

According to local reports, the rains are the worst Kathmandu has seen in decades.

Entire neighborhoods of the city were flooded over the weekend after reports of flash flooding in rivers crossing Kathmandu.

The capital remained isolated on Sunday as many key roads connecting it to the rest of the country were blocked by landslides.

Rescuers recovered 14 bodies from two buses buried under rubble on a highway near Kathmandu overnight.

More vehicles were still buried in the same spot as rescue teams dug through mud and rocks to find people.

Power and internet outages were also reported in some areas.

Meanwhile, the government has closed schools and colleges across Nepal for three days.

Weather officials blamed the heavy rains on a low-pressure system in the Bay of Bengal that stretches across parts of neighboring India.

dvv/nm (AP, dpa, Reuters)