Nepal: 104 people die as heavy rain triggers landslides and flash floods
The highways were blocked and the Biratnagar airport’s tarmac was submerged leading to cancellation of flights.
The toll from flood and landslide due to heavy rain in Nepal rose to 104 on Thursday, PTI reported. Forty one have been reported missing, according the country’s Disaster Management Division.
The government has announced a compensation of Rs 1.2 lakh to the families of the deceased, Reuters reported.
The highways in the country were blocked and the Biratnagar airport’s tarmac was submerged leading to cancellation of flights. The rice paddy harvest has been damaged due to heavy rains.
“Crops and homes have been wiped out, which is a severe blow to families already grappling with the devastating fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Azmat Ulla of the International Federation of Red Crescent Societies in Nepal, AP reported.
On Thursday, Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba visited the flood-affected areas in the western part of the country and directed the authorities to speed up rescue, relief and rehabilition of the citizens.
Home Minister Balkrishna Khand on Thursday asked the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, National Investigation Department and Nepal Army to rescue the foreign tourists stuck in the Humla district, PTI reported.
Twelve tourists have been stranded after heavy snowfall in Nakhla town of Humla district, 700 kilometres to the west of Kathmandu. They were returning from a trekking expedition in Limi, Ganesh Acharya, the chief district officer of Humla said.
The local administration has requested the government to provide a helicopter to carry out rescue operation in the areas affected by snowfall.
On Wednesday, heavy rain hampered the government’s effort to reach Seti – a village located 350 kilometres from Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, Reuters reported. Sixty people have been stranded here for two days.