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Fri, Nov 22, 2024 | Jumada al-Awwal 20, 1446 | DXB
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Nepal: 148 dead, 59 missing in rain-induced floods, landslides
Kathmandu recorded a record-breaking rainfall in its 54 years with 323 millimetres of rainfall, recorded within 24 hours on that day
- By
- AFP, ANI
Security force members use an inflatable raft to bring residents to safety from a flooded area near the bank of the overflowing Bagmati River. Photo: Reuters
The devastating series of floods, landslides and inundations has pushed the death toll to 148 in Nepal so far in the last 24 hours, as per data received from the Armed Police Force (APF) and the Nepal Police on Sunday.
Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said 148 people had been killed across the country with another 59 still missing.
Home Ministry spokesman Rishi Ram Tiwari told AFP that bulldozers were being used to clear several highways that had been blocked by debris, cutting Kathmandu off from the rest of the country.
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"More than 3,000 people have been rescued," he added.
At least 36 of those killed were aboard three vehicles and were buried alive when earth from a landslide careened into a highway south of Kathmandu, Nepal Police spokesman Dan Bahadur Karki told AFP.
The valley in which the capital sits recorded 240 millimetres (9.4 inches) of rain in the 24 hours to Saturday morning, the country's weather bureau told the Kathmandu Post newspaper.
It was the highest rainfall recorded in Kathmandu since at least 1970, the report said.
As per APF and Nepal Police, till Sunday morning, a total of 34 people were found dead in Kavrepalanchowk, with 20 in Lalitpur, 15 in Dhading, 12 in Kathmandu, seven in Makwanpur, four in Sindhupalchowk, three in Dolakha and five each in Panchthar and Bhaktapur districts.
Additionally, two people each have been found dead in Dhankuta and Solukhumbu, one each in the Ramchhap, Mahottari and Sunsari districts.
According to Nepal Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, the recent rainfall had caused severe damage to the Kathmandu Valley and the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police have been conducting search and rescue operations all across the Himalayan nation.
"Due to the heavy rainfall all across the nation, we are collecting information about induced damages; a meeting of the (disaster) command post also has been conveyed. A huge amount of damage to life and properties has been recorded all across the nation. The recent rainfall has also affected the Kathmandu Valley severely. The Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police are conducting the search and rescue operations all across the nation," Lekhak told reporters on Saturday.
On Saturday, Kathmandu recorded a record-breaking rainfall in its 54 years with 323 millimetres of rainfall, recorded within 24 hours on that day.
Nepal since Thursday evening had been experiencing heavy rains influenced by water vapour from the Bay of Bengal and a low-pressure system in the region, which eventually sparked a humanitarian crisis all across the nation.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Authority (NDRRMA) also issued a warning for 56 out of 77 districts about possible disasters due to the rains, advising people to adopt caution.
Home to nine of the ten highest peaks in the world, Nepal has already estimated more rain than average this year, with a total of 1.8 million people getting affected by it.
The NDRRMA had also estimated that 412 thousand households would be affected by monsoon-related disasters.
The monsoon season in the Himalayan nation generally begins around June 13 and usually ends around September end but now it is expected to extend till late October.
This year, the clouds from the south entered Nepal from the western region on June 10, three days ahead of the usual onset date. Last year, the weather phenomenon started on June 14, a day after the normal onset day.
The monsoon period, which delivers around 80 per cent of the country's total annual rainfall, generally lasts 105 days. But, in recent years, it has been taking more time to end.
According to data from the Meteorological Office, the country received 1,586.3 millimetres of rainfall as of Friday morning since the monsoon entered on June 10.
Normally, the country receives an average rainfall of 1,472 mm in the four months--June, July, August, and September. Last year, the country witnessed only 1,303 mm of rainfall in the season.
Deadly rain-related floods and landslides are common across South Asia during the monsoon season from June to September, but experts say climate change is increasing their frequency and severity.
More than 3,000 security personnel were deployed to assist rescue efforts with helicopters and motorboats.
Rescue teams were using rafts to pull survivors to safety.
Domestic flights resumed in and out of Kathmandu by Sunday morning after weather forced a complete stoppage from Friday evening, with more than 150 departures cancelled.
The summer monsoon brings South Asia 70-80 percent of its annual rainfall.
Monsoon rains from June to September bring widespread death and destruction every year across South Asia, but the number of fatal floods and landslides has increased in recent years.
Experts say climate change has worsened their frequency and intensity.
A landslide that hit a road in Chitwan district in July pushed two buses with 59 passengers aboard into a river.
Three people were able to escape alive, but authorities managed to recover only 20 bodies from the accident, with raging flood waters impeding the search.
More than 260 people have died in Nepal in rain-related disasters this year.
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