(Kathmandu) Severe floods and landslides in Nepal, caused by monsoon rains, have killed at least 48 people in the past two weeks, while another 13 have been washed away by a river and disappeared, officials said Thursday.
Posted at 7:57 am
Updated at 7:57
“There were heavy rains at the end of the monsoon which caused landslides and floods in the western parts of the country,” Pradip Kumari Koirala, a disaster management official, told AFP.
“We are currently carrying out relief operations and distribution of relief in these areas by mobilizing security forces and other agencies, as the weather has improved,” he added.
In the remote village of Rachuli, Karnali province, 13 people traveling for a funeral were swept away by the Tila River on Sunday, local official Saroj Adhikari told AFP.
“The search operation is still ongoing. But hope is very low now, “she said.
Nearly 700 foreign and Nepalese trekkers were stranded for about 48 hours earlier this week in the mountainous districts of western Nepal, but most were rescued or managed to continue the journey.
However, “there are still stranded hikers […]. We are evaluating the number of people to be rescued, “said Binod Sapkota of the Nepal Trekking Agencies Association.
Koirala said authorities mobilized excavators and engineers to clear scree and mud-blocking roads and placed helicopters on alert to respond to emergency relief efforts.
The monsoon brings 70-80% of its annual rainfall to South Asia, but it also brings death and destruction. Nearly 1,700 people lost their lives in Pakistan due to severe flooding this year.
The monsoon is relatively poorly understood and rather unpredictable. It is difficult to predict exactly where and when, with what force the rain will occur, but according to scientific experts, climate change is making the monsoon more powerful and erratic.
