10 dead, 18 missing in Nepal floods and landslides

KATHMANDU: Floods and landslides caused by heavy downpours in Nepal killed at least 10 people across the Himalayan country, with rescue teams searching for 18 missing, a disaster official said Saturday.

Parts of Nepal have been inundated with rainfall since Friday, prompting disaster authorities to warn of flash floods in multiple rivers.

“Police are working with other agencies and locals to rescue and find the missing people,“ Basanta Adhikari, a spokesman for Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, told AFP.

Rivers in the capital Kathmandu swelled, inundating houses and cars close to their banks.

“When I went outside in the middle of the night, the water had reached up to my shoulders,“ said Hari Malla, a 49-year-old truck driver.

“My whole truck is under water,“ he told AFP.

More than 3,000 security personnel were deployed to assist rescue efforts with helicopters and motorboats.

Landslides have blocked several highways leaving hundreds of travellers stranded.

“We have around eight locations, all of them have been blocked due to landslides in different sections of the road,“ said Kathmandu traffic police officer Bishwaraj Khadka.

All domestic flights out of Kathmandu were cancelled from Friday evening, affecting more than 150 departures.

Monsoon rains from June to September bring widespread death and destruction every year across South Asia, but the numbers of fatal floods and landslides have increased in recent years.

Experts say climate change has worsened their frequency and intensity.

More than 170 people have died in Nepal in rain-related disasters this year.