Kathmandu, September 19

As many as 246 persons were killed and 2,430 others injured in various incidents of disaster throughout the country in the past five months, said the Ministry of Home Affairs today.

The reporting period of the disasters was from mid-April to mid-September. A meeting of the executive committee of Disaster and Conflict Management Division under the MoHA held in Singha Durbar said landslides had emerged as the deadliest disaster killing 44 persons. Similarly, 27 persons were killed after being struck by lightning, 12 due to high altitude sickness, 10 in floods, nine in fire, seven in boat capsize and seven in wildlife attack. Likewise, six died of snakebite, five in incessant rain, five in storm, one in snowfall and six in other disasters.

Five persons, including a woman, are still missing after being swept away by floods or buried in landslides. Of the 246 who lost their lives in disasters, 107 are women. Similarly, 776 persons were killed and 2,810 others were injured in road accidents during the same period.

The meeting chaired by Minister of Home Affairs Ram Bahadur Thapa decided to rehabilitate the persons or households rendered homeless due to monsoon fury, including floods, landslides and inundation. The Ministry of Urban Development, concerned district disaster management committee and local disaster management committee have been assigned to carry out the task.

Similarly, the Ministry of Energy, Irrigation and Water Resources will work on risk mitigation programmes in areas vulnerable to floods and landslides. Over 50 districts were affected by the disasters.