Photo: AP
Kathmandu: With rain falling nonstop since Friday night and predicted to continue over the weekend, flooding and landslides brought on by the persistent downpour have killed at least 101 people in Nepal and left another 64 missing, officials reported on Saturday.
"The death toll has reached 101, and 64 people are missing," police spokesperson Dan Bahadur Karki told AFP.
"There is likely to be an increase in the death toll as our search and rescue mission proceeds in the affected areas," he added.
3,010 people were rescued and sixty individuals were injured across the Himalayan nation, according to Home Ministry spokesman Rishiram Tiwari. He claimed that orders had been issued for all branches of the nation's security services, including the army, to assist with the rescue operations, the Associated Press reported.
The downpour caused landslides that closed several roads. Heavy machinery is being deployed to try to open the three highways that have been blocked by landslides, including the crucial Prithvi highway that connects Kathmandu to the rest of the nation, according to Tiwari.
Massive rains are predicted, and the government has issued flood warnings throughout the Himalayan nation.
Buses were banned from driving at night on highways, and cars were discouraged. Security troops were urged to be on high alert. Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak told reporters that officials are currently gathering information about the effects of flooding.
“The government's priority right now is to rescue the people and help those who have been affected,” Lekhak said.
Rivers swelled, flooding parts of Kathmandu, and forcing people to relocate to the upper floors of many flooded homes. Most of a large area of the city's southern side was underwater.
Four individuals who were unable to leave their homes were picked up by an army helicopter. For a while, much of Kathmandu was without electricity and internet.
The monsoon season, which brings with it a lot of rain, starts in June and normally finishes in the middle of September.