Nepal floods and landslides kill at least 38 people

KATHMANDU: At least 38 people have been killed in Nepal since early on Friday ( Sep 27 ) as persistent downpours triggered more flooding and landslides, closing major roads and disrupting domestic air travel, officials said on Saturday.

The dying toll may fall, they added, with another 29 individuals reported missing over the last 30 days.

The Kathmandu river, which is home to four million people and the nation’s capital, was the site of the majority of the deaths, where visitors and regular exercise came to a halt as a result of the flood.

As some pieces of Kathmandu reported up to 322.2mm of weather over the last moment, rescue workers used helicopters and plastic boats to assist those who were stranded on rooftops or elevated terrain.

After almost a week’s pause in South Asia’s yearly monsoon rains, which caused torrential downpours across the region, the majority of the rivers in the Himalayan region have swollen, spilling over over bridges and roads, according to authorities.

According to police spokesperson Dan Bahadur Karki, officers were removing dirt and reopening roads in 28 locations as a result of landslides that had caused traffic to slog through the area.

The earliest let-up in the rains may not appear until Sunday, said Binu Maharjan, a weather prediction established in Kathmandu, who said a low-pressure program over parts of neighbouring India had caused this year’s lengthy rains.

According to Maharjan, “heavy rains are likely to persist until Sunday night, and the weather is likely to certain thereafter.”

Most central and eastern sections had received reasonable to really heavy precipitation, ranging from 50mm to more than 200mm, she added, with average levels recorded abroad.

Worldwide flights are operating, but some domestic airlines have been disrupted, said Rinji Sherpa, a spokeswoman for Kathmandu aircraft.

The Koshi River in the south, which causes lethal storms in India’s eastern adjacent state of Bihar nearly every year, was running above the danger levels at 450, 000 tons, versus the normal number of 150, 000 tons, one standard said.

A cusec is a unit of water flow that is equivalent to one cubic foot per second.

The river level is still rising, added Ram Chandra Tiwari, the area’s top bureaucrat.

Every year, hundreds of people die as a result of the mountainous nation’s landslides and flash floods.

Since mid-June this year when annual monsoon rains have started, at least 254 people have died and 65 have gone missing in landslides, floods, and lightning strikes.