Floods leave at least 43 people dead across Nepal, India

Nepali residents look at floodwaters after the Balkhu River overflowed following monsoon rains at the Kalanki area of Kathmandu.- AFP

 Flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall have killed at least 43 people in Nepal in the past few days, with more deaths reported across the Himalayan border in India, officials said on Sunday (July 14).
At least 24 others are missing in Nepal, either swept by swollen rivers or buried by mudslides since delayed monsoon rains began pounding the region on Friday (July 12), police said. Roads and highways have been blocked in parts of Nepal and communication towers knocked down.
Twenty people have been treated for injuries and more than 1,100 others rescued from flooded areas.
Nepal's Department of Hydrology and Meteorology warned of more troubles ahead in a flood warning for the southern region near the main rivers, urging people to keep watch on rising water levels and move to higher grounds when needed.
Rain-triggered floods and mudslides have left a trail of destruction in other parts of South Asia. Officials in northeastern India have reported at least a dozen people dead and over a million affected.
The dead included two schoolchildren who were buried when their boarding school collapsed while they were asleep in Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh state.
Assam's State Disaster Response Authority said around 900,000 people spread over 21 of the state's 33 districts have had their homes submerged. Several thousands are living in government-run relief camps.
Elsewhere in Assam, Kaziranga National Park, home to the endangered one-horn rhinoceros, has been flooded. The park is located 225 kilometers (140 miles) east of Gauhati, the state capital.
Floods and mudslides have also hit some other northeastern states, including Meghalaya, Sikkim and Mizoram. In Mizoram, floods have submerged about 400 homes in the small town of Tlabung, police said.