Heavy Rain Ravages Nepal As Landslides, Floods Kill 30 So Far

A landslide triggered by heavy rain killed one person while six others went missing in central Nepal's Kathmandu on Tuesday.

One person was killed and six others went missing after a landslide swept several houses in central Nepal due to heavy rainfall on Tuesday morning. District police Makwanpur said a woman died after being pulled out of debris and other members of her family went missing in Nepal’s Sigre of Bagmati Rural Municipality, reported news agency ANI. 

This comes after heavy rain inundated parts of Nepal and left many temples submerged. Notably, the strong force of overflowing water levels at the Bagmati and Bishnumati rivers along with their tributaries have destroyed embankments making entry into nearby residential regions.

A spokesperson at the District Police Office Makwanpur Tek Bahadur Karki was quoted as saying by ANI: “Rescue efforts are underway; we are searching for possible survivors. We managed to pull one person from under the debris but she died later. Six people have gone missing.”

Roads in many parts of Nepal continue to remain inundated, which has disrupted the normal life of citizens. The authorities have also sounded alerts about further embankment breaches. 

Meanwhile, the toll due to annual monsoon rains climbed to 40 in the country, reported Reuters. This year alone, 38 people have died and around 33 people have gone missing due to rain-related incidents, said Mana Acharya, who works at the home ministry.

She further added officials are currently engaged in search and rescue operations in a village near Kathmandu. Meanwhile, a major highway connecting Kathmandu with other southern parts of the country was left blocked after landslides, said police as reported by Reuters.

In addition to these, areas near the Bagmati river in the Kathmandu Valley have been flooded, where about four million people live. Authorities have also asked locals living near the eastern Sindhuli river to remain alert amid the rising water level.

Every year, heavy rain hits life in Nepal from June to September and claims many lives. Amid the persistent rain,  the Meteorological Forecasting Division said Nepal will witness rainfall for a few more days.