170 deaths, floods and landslides cause havoc
nepal news. The death toll due to floods and landslides caused by rain in India’s neighboring country Nepal has risen to 170. Along with this, 42 people are reported missing. Officials said that large parts of eastern and central Nepal have been submerged since Friday, with sudden floods reported in many parts of the country.
According to Home Ministry officials, 42 people are missing due to floods, landslides and inundation. Home Ministry spokesperson Rishiram Pokhrel said that 111 people have been injured in flood-related incidents. He said that search and rescue operations are going on with the help of all security agencies. The Nepal Army has evacuated 162 people from across the country by air. Pokhrel said that 4,000 people affected by floods and inundation have been rescued by the Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force personnel. Officials said that all necessary relief materials including food items have been provided to the rescued people. The spokesperson said that food was distributed to 400 people with the help of social workers in Balkhu area on the outskirts of Kathmandu.
National highways are blocked since Saturday, hundreds of people are stranded on several highways due to landslides. Efforts are underway to clear the roads on national highways blocked due to floods and landslides. Home Ministry spokesperson Pokhrel said that transportation has resumed on the Tribhuvan Highway, the main land route connecting Kathmandu to other districts. The flood damaged at least 322 houses and 16 bridges in Nepal. Eyewitnesses said that they had never seen such a devastating flood and water havoc in the Kathmandu Valley in 40-45 years. “I have never seen flooding on this scale in Kathmandu before,” said Arun Bhakta Shrestha, a climate and environment expert at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
