KATHMANDU, Nepal — Heavy monsoon rains have unleashed catastrophic flooding and landslides across Nepal, resulting in at least 66 confirmed deaths and leaving 69 individuals missing, according to police reports on Saturday.
Since Friday, extensive areas of the Himalayan nation have experienced severe inundation, prompting disaster authorities to issue urgent warnings about potential flash floods in multiple rivers. Nepal police spokesman Dan Bahadur Karki reported, “So far, there are 59 dead, 36 wounded and 44 missing,” adding that more than 200 incidents of flooding and landslides have been documented, indicating the death toll may rise further.
The swollen rivers around the capital city of Kathmandu overflowed, submerging homes and displacing residents. Local shop owner Mahamad Shabuddin, 34, described the scene: “It’s scary. I had never seen such kind of devastation in my lifetime before,” as he surveyed the damage near the Bagmati River.
Survivors have been spotted clinging to rooftops or navigating through murky waters in desperate attempts to reach safety. “When I went outside in the middle of the night, the water had reached up to my shoulders,” recalled Hari Mallah, a 49-year-old truck driver. “My truck is completely under water.”
In response to the crisis, Basanta Adhikari, spokesman for Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, announced that rescue operations are ongoing. More than 3,000 security personnel have been mobilized, employing helicopters and motorboats to assist those affected. Rafts are being utilized to transport survivors to safety.
However, the impact of the disaster has been widespread, with landslides blocking key highways and stranding hundreds of travelers. Kathmandu traffic police officer Bishwaraj Khadka stated, “We have around eight locations, all of them have been blocked due to landslides in different sections of the road.”
The crisis has also disrupted air travel, with all domestic flights out of Kathmandu canceled since Friday evening, affecting over 150 departures. In a tragic reminder of the dangers posed by the monsoon season, a landslide in Chitwan district in July led to a bus accident that claimed several lives, complicating ongoing rescue efforts.
This year alone, rain-related disasters have claimed more than 220 lives in Nepal, underscoring the urgent need for effective disaster preparedness as the monsoon season continues to wreak havoc across the region. As rescue teams strive to assist those in need, the nation braces for further challenges ahead.
