The death toll from landslides and flooding triggered by torrential monsoon rains in Nepal and northern India climbed to at least 109 yesterday as tides of water, mud and rocks swept away houses, officials said.
The downpours also displaced thousands of people in the scenic Himalayan region and revived memories of a deadly deluge last year that killed more than 5,000 people in the Indian state of Uttarakhand.
The rains have damaged roads across the country´s western plains bordering India, with poor visibility hindering helicopter rescue efforts to evacuate some 1,500 people stranded in waterlogged homes, said home ministry spokesman Laxmi Prasad Dhakal.
“Because of the damage to roads in the area, we can only deliver relief supplies like tents and medicines by helicopter,” Dhakal told the media.
Army officials rescued some 300 people Saturday, while hundreds more awaited help in the worst-hit districts of Surkhet and Bardiya, where electricity lines snapped, leaving thousands without power.
“We have had no power all day and we are struggling to reach affected people,” said Bardiya district official Tej Prasad Paudel.
In neighbouring Banke district, flooding caused by heavy rain washed away homes, district official Jeevan Oli said.
Meanwhile, heavy downpours in neighbouring India triggered landslides and flooding that have claimed at least 24 lives since Friday, according to Indian government officials.
