Nepal death toll climbs to 217 after heavy floods and landslides

KATHMANDU: The death toll from rain-induced floods and landslides across Nepal crossed 215-mark on Tuesday, while the number of those gone missing stands at 28, officials said.

The disaster, which began on Thursday, continued to cause widespread destruction in multiple provinces until Sunday, leaving thousands displaced. Large swathes of eastern and central Nepal have been inundated since Friday.

However, the weather improved from Sunday in Kathmandu providing some relief to the disaster-affected people.

The death toll in the flood and landslide triggered by three days of continuous rain in Kathmandu and various parts of Nepal has reached 217 as of Tuesday morning. So far, 28 people have been missing and 143 sustained injuries due to the natural disaster-related incidents, according to Home Ministry spokesperson Rishiram Tiwari.

Incessant rain from Thursday to Saturday has created havoc across Nepal.

The Kathmandu Valley suffered the most where the death toll crossed 50. More than 20,000 security personnel, including from the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police, have been deployed for all-out efforts of search, rescue and relief distribution.

Those injured are receiving treatment at various health facilities, Tiwari said.

Similarly, those affected by the floods and landslides are provided with instant relief materials.

The government has given priority to search, rescue and relief distribution. The efforts to resume the blocked roadways are currently underway, Tiwari added.

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.

The floods and landslides have thrown life out of gear in many parts of the country, with many highways and road stretches disrupted, hundreds of houses and bridges buried or swept away, and hundreds of families displaced.

Thousands of passengers have been stranded in various places due to road disruption.