Landslides and flash floods, triggered by heavy rains, have killed at least 47 people, blocked roads and washed away bridges in Nepal.
Thirty-five people were killed in separate landslides in the Ilam district in the east bordering India, Kalidas Dhauboji, a spokesperson for the Armed Police Force, said on Sunday.
Nine people were missing after being washed away by floods since Friday and three others were killed in lightning strikes elsewhere in Nepal, he added, as relentless downpours pummelled eastern and central regions of the Himalayan nation.
“Rescue efforts for the missing persons are going on,” said Shanti Mahat, a National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority spokesperson in Nepal.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has declared Monday and Tuesday as public holidays nationwide, exempting emergency services and disaster response teams, as the government battles the crisis.
Government spokesperson Rameshwar Dangal cited forecasts of heavy rains as justification for the unusual measure.
Meteorological authorities have also placed more than a dozen districts on red alert, with department chief Kamal Ram Joshi warning the residents near waterways to evacuate immediately, The Kathmandu Post newspaper reported.
The alert covers major population centres, including parts of the capital, Kathmandu, with Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini and Madhesh provinces expected to bear the brunt of continued downpours through Monday morning.
Transport infrastructure has suffered extensive damage, with landslides cutting all major routes into Kathmandu.
The Araniko Highway connecting Kathmandu to China’s border is blocked after road collapses at multiple points, while the BP Highway linking the eastern regions is buried under debris.
Aviation authorities suspended domestic flights on Saturday due to poor visibility, though international operations continued with some disruptions.
“Domestic flights are largely disrupted, but international flights are operating normally,” said Rinji Sherpa, a spokesperson for Kathmandu airport.
The crisis has been compounded by its timing, striking as hundreds of thousands of people return from their homes following the Dashain celebrations, Nepal’s most important religious festival. Thursday was the main day of the two-week festival when people travel to their native villages to visit their families.
Of particular concern is the Koshi River in southeastern Nepal, where water levels have surged to more than twice their normal volume.
Local official Dharmendra Kumar Mishra confirmed that all 56 sluice gates at the Koshi Barrage have been opened – compared with the usual 10 to 12 – while authorities consider restricting heavy vehicles from crossing its bridge.
The river regularly causes devastating flooding in India’s Bihar state during the monsoons.
In the eastern Indian hill region of Darjeeling in West Bengal state, at least seven people were killed due to landslides following heavy rainfall, according to local media reports.
“Seven dead bodies have already been recovered from the debris. We have information about two more people. Work is being done to recover their bodies too,” Abhishek Roy, a Darjeeling district police official said on Sunday, the Reuters news agency reported.
Hundreds of people die every year in landslides and flash floods that are common in mostly mountainous Nepal during the monsoon season, which normally starts in mid-June and continues through mid-September.
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