Rescue ops on as over 200 people killed in floods, landslides in Nepal

Search and rescue operations continued in Nepal for the third consecutive day on Monday after monsoon-induced floods and landslides killed more than 200 people in one of the worst rain-related disasters in the Himalayan nation in recent years.

Incessant rainfall over the weekend triggered floods and landslides, wreaking havoc in Kathmandu and most of the districts of Nepal. At least 205 people have been killed with 24 others still missing in the continuous rainfall, floods, landslides and inundation, Home Ministry officials said, adding that Kathmandu alone recorded 56 deaths related to the natural disaster.

According to the officials, 130 people have been injured nationwide in the disaster.

The Home Ministry said all security agencies have been deployed for relief efforts following the floods and landslides, and the Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force personnel have rescued around 4,500 disaster-affected individuals so far. While those injured are receiving free treatment, food and other emergency relief materials have been provided to others affected by the floods.

Hundreds of people are facing a shortage of food, safe drinking water and sanitation in Kathmandu following the natural disaster, according to eyewitnesses. Market prices have also soared as vegetables coming from India and other districts of the country have been temporarily halted due to obstruction in major highways due to landslides.

At least 20 hydropower plants with a combined capacity of 1,100 MW suffered damages due to floods and landslides in the past three days, leading to the disruption of power supply in Kathmandu and other major cities, officials said. Meanwhile, Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, who returned home from his visit to the US to attend the United Nations General Assembly on Monday, said the government will not leave any stone unturned in rescue and relief distribution works and urged all sides to cooperate with the government. The floods and landslides have thrown life out of gear in many parts of the country, with many highways and road stretches disrupted, hundreds of houses buried or swept away.