Death toll rises to 200 in Nepal floods, landslides; 30 still missing

Kathmandu: The death toll from rain-induced floods and landslides across Nepal reached nearly 200 on Monday, with at least 30 people still missing, according to the police.

Incessant rainfall from last Friday triggered floods and landslides, wreaking havoc in the Himalayan nation.

At least 192 people have been killed in the continuous rainfall, floods, landslides and inundation, officials from the Nepal Police said.

They said 94 others have also been injured nationwide in the disaster, while 30 others remain missing.

The government has given high priority to search, rescue, and relief operations, MyRepublica news portal reported, quoting Home Ministry Spokesperson Rishiram Tiwari.

Security agencies across the country have been deployed for search, rescue and relief efforts, and more than 4,500 disaster-affected individuals have been rescued so far, the report said.

While those injured are receiving free treatment, food and other emergency relief materials have been provided to others affected by the floods.

Numerous roads throughout the nation are severely damaged, and all routes leading to the capital city, Kathmandu, are still blocked, leaving thousands of travellers stranded, The Kathmandu Post newspaper reported.

Tiwari said efforts are under way to clear the obstructed highways to resume transportation.

Kathmandu's main river, the Bagmati, was flowing above danger levels after incessant rain lashed large swathes of eastern and central Nepal on Friday and Saturday, a report published by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) said.

"A low-pressure system in the Bay of Bengal and the more northerly than usual position of the monsoon trough was the reason" behind the exceptionally intense rain, it said on Saturday.

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.