Kathmandu, July 13

Floods and landslides triggered by torrential rainfall have killed at least 43 people, displacing settlements and disrupting vehicular movement.

Of the deceased, 18 are females and 25 are males, said Nepal Police.

The downpour created havoc killing at least 43 people in the last 24 hours. At least 20 have been injured and 24 have gone missing according to the updated Nepal Police report of 9:00 pm.

Five lost their lives in Lalitpur and Bhojpur. Four were killed in Makawanpur and three each died in Kathmandu, Okhaldhunga, Kavrepalanchowk and Khotang. Two lives each were lost in Jhapa, Sindhuli and Dhading. One person each died in Sunsari, Bara, Rautahat, Siraha, Dhanusha, Chitwan, Palpa, Parsa, Ramechhap, Ilam and Dolpa.

Heavy rainfall since Thursday hit more than 25 districts in the hills as well as the southern plains of the country.

Floods triggered by incessant rainfall for the past two days inundated human settlements and displaced 10,385 households.

A total of 5,000 households in Siraha and 3,000 in Sarlahi have been displaced. Similarly, a total of 400 households were displaced in Morang and 1,665 in Bara, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The incessant downpour also caused landslides and triggered flash floods resulting in displacement of thousands of people in the affected districts.

Police rescued 1,104 people from across the country. In the valley alone, police rescued 185 people from Kathmandu, eight from Lalitpur and two from Bhaktapur.

According to Nepal Police, a total of 27,380 police personnel have been deployed across the country for search and rescue operations. Of this number, 8,856 personnel were deployed in Kathmandu valley.

Police have also rescued ten persons from Udayapur, two each from Sindhuli and Siraha districts and one each was rescued from Sunsari and Makanwanpur districts. The natural disaster has also caused huge loss of property.

According to Flood Forecasting Section of Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, monsoon is active across the nation and there are risks of flash floods in rivers flowing from the Chure region and hills of Sudur Paschim Province, Province 5 and small rivers flowing from Karnali Province. It has also said that there are high chances of flash floods in rivers flowing in the mid-hilly regions in Province 1, 2, 3 and Gandaki Province.

Meteorological Forecasting Division has said rainfall will continue for two to three days in most places across the country.

There will be heavy rainfall in a few areas in the western, eastern and central regions. MFD has also forecast very heavy rainfall in some areas in the east and central hills and Tarai region and in hills of the western region. It has also said that landslides are likely to occur in the hills of the eastern and central regions. MFD has warned the public to remain on high alert. It has also said that obstructions are likely to occur because of low visibility in both airways and road transportation.

Incessant rainfall has resulted in rising water level in the rivers. FFS said that water level in Bagmati, Kamala, Saptakoshi and its tributary the Sunkoshi has crossed the danger mark.

“People living in these regions should remain alert,” said Binod Parajuli, hydrologist at FFS.

Nepal police has also notified the public that they should contact 01- 4412780 at Nepal Police Central Operation Section for details of the condition of roads.