INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 30The number of people killed in Nepal by flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall
over the weekend reached 193 while recovery and rescue work stepped up on Monday.
100 people dead, 67 missing in floods and
Heavy rainfall expected in multiple provinces as monsoon
continues across country
Many of the deaths were
in the capital, Kathmandu, which got heavy rainfall, and much of southern part of the city was flooded
Police said in a statement that 31 people were still reported missing and 96 people were injured across the Himalayan nation.A landslide
killed three dozen people on a blocked highway about 16 kilometers (10 miles) from Kathmandu
The landslide buried at least three buses and other vehicles where people were sleeping because the highway was blocked.
Kathmandu had remained cut off all weekend as the three highways out of the city were blocked by landslides
Workers were able to temporarily open up the key Prithvi highway, removing rocks, mud and trees that had been washed from the mountains.The
home minister announced temporary shelters would be built for people who lost their homes and monetary help would be available for the
families of those killed and to the people who were injured by the flooding and landslides.Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli was returning
home Monday from attending the U.N
General Assembly meeting and has called an emergency meeting, his office said.Improved weather has allowed rescue and recovery work to be
stepped up.Residents in the southern part of Kathmandu, which was inundated on Saturday, were cleaning up houses as water levels began to
At least 34 people were killed in Kathmandu, which was the hardest hit by flooding.Police and soldiers were assisting with rescue efforts,
while heavy equipment was used to clear the landslides from the roads
The government announced it was closing schools and colleges across Nepal for the next three days.The monsoon season began in June and
usually ends by mid-September.Meanwhile, in northern Bangladesh, about 60,000 people were affected by flooding in low-lying areas because of
rains and rising water from upstream India.People have taken shelter on roads and flood protection embankments in Lalmonirhat and Kurigram
districts, the English-language Daily Star reported.The River Teesta that crosses the border was overflowing at some points and the Dharala
and Dudhkumar rivers in the Rangpur region were rising but remained below danger levels, the Dhaka-based Flood Forecasting and Warning
Waters could start receding in a day or two, it said.Bangladesh is a low-lying delta nation crisscrossed by about 230 rivers, including more
than 50 that cross borders.
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com
