According to officials, at least 38 people have been murdered and 29 more are missing as Nepal’s continuous rains have unleashed floods and landslides over the last day.
On Saturday, more than 3,000 security officers were dispatched to help with rescue efforts using helicopters and motorboats as areas of the country, including the capital Kathmandu, were swamped. Authorities have also warned of potential possible flash floods in other rivers.
Monsoon rains from June to September cause significant death and destruction in the Himalayan nation and throughout South Asia each year, but the frequency of devastating floods and landslides has increased in recent years.
“Police are working with other agencies and locals to rescue and find the missing people,” Basanta Adhikari, a spokeswoman for Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, told AFP.
A truck driver who witnessed the flooding said that when he went outside in the middle of the night, the water had already reached up to his shoulders.Since Friday evening, all domestic flights out of Kathmandu have been cancelled, affecting more than 150 departures.
International flights are still in operation, Rinji Sherpa, a spokesperson for Kathmandu airport, told the Reuters news agency.
According to police spokesman Dan Bahadur Karki, officers were trying to clear debris and reopen roads after landslides closed highways in 28 sites. Binu Maharjan, a weather forecasting official in Kathmandu, blamed this year’s extended rains on a low-pressure system over parts of neighboring India. The earliest letup in the rains could not come until Sunday.