104 die in Nepal floods after monsoon rains
Residents of Nepal’s flood-hit capital returned to their mud-caked homes on Sunday to assess the wreckage from devastating floods that have killed at least 104 people across the Himalayan republic.
Deadly floods and landslides caused by heavy monsoon rains are common across South Asia from June to September. However, experts warn that climate change is increasing their frequency and severity.
Entire neighbourhoods in Kathmandu were submerged over the weekend, with flash floods reported in rivers flowing through the capital and extensive damage to highways connecting the city to the rest of Nepal.
Kumar Tamang, who lives in a slum area by the riverbank, told AFP that he and his family had to flee after midnight on Saturday as waters rushed into their shack.
“This morning we returned, and everything looks different,” the 40-year-old said.
“We couldn’t even open the doors to our house; they were jammed with mud,” he added. “Yesterday, we were afraid the water would kill us, but today we have no water to clean with.”
Nepal’s home ministry reported that 104 people had died across the country, with another 64 still missing.
Ministry spokesman Rishi Ram Tiwari told AFP that bulldozers were being used to clear several highways blocked by debris, cutting Kathmandu off from the rest of the country.
“More than 3,000 people have been rescued,” he added.
At least 14 of those killed were aboard two buses that were buried by a landslide along a highway south of Kathmandu, Dhading district chief Rajendra Dev Pandey told AFP.
The valley in which the capital sits recorded 240 millimetres (9.4 inches) of rain in the 24 hours leading up to Saturday morning, the country’s weather bureau told the Kathmandu Post newspaper.
This was the highest rainfall recorded in the capital since at least 1970, the report said.
Chest-deep water –
Residents waded through chest-deep water to reach higher ground.
More than 3,000 security personnel were deployed to assist rescue efforts, using helicopters and motorboats. Rescue teams employed rafts to pull survivors to safety.
Domestic flights resumed in and out of Kathmandu by Sunday morning after weather conditions forced a complete stoppage from Friday evening, with more than 150 departures cancelled.
The summer monsoon delivers 70-80 per cent of South Asia’s annual rainfall.
Monsoon rains from June to September cause widespread death and destruction every year across South Asia, but the number of fatal floods and landslides has risen in recent years.
Experts say climate change has exacerbated their frequency and intensity.
A landslide in July, which struck a road in the Chitwan district, swept two buses carrying 59 passengers into a river.
Three people were able to escape, but authorities recovered only 20 bodies, with raging floodwaters hampering the search.
More than 260 people have died in Nepal this year in rain-related disasters.
