In Nepal, the death toll from floods worsens to at least 192 deaths

Floods and landslides caused by torrential rains in Nepal have killed at least 192 people, according to a new report from the authorities on Monday September 30. Large parts of the east and center of this Himalayan country have been under water since Friday, as well as entire neighborhoods of Kathmandu, causing enormous damage to the roads that connect the capital to the rest of the country. The spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior said that 31 people are “still missing”.

The Nepalese army, for its part, said it had already carried out more than 4,000 evacuations, including with helicopters, motorboats and lifeboats. Bulldozers and other excavating machines were used to clear the roads. The paralysis of the road network caused the first shortages of vegetables in the capital, the prices of which increased significantly.

According to provisional data from the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, stations in 14 districts measured record rainfall in the twenty-four hours before Saturday morning. A station at Kathmandu airport, for example, recorded 240 millimeters of rain, the highest level since 2002, he said. Domestic flights resumed on Sunday morning to and from the Nepalese capital, after being completely suspended from Friday evening.

Monsoons from June to September cause death and destruction across South Asia each year, but the number of deadly floods and landslides has increased in recent years. Scientists explain that climate change has worsened their frequency and intensity.