Monsoon has killed at least 650 people in South Asia since June

A terrible toll. Torrential rains have killed some 650 people since June in India, Pakistan and Nepal, where floods and landslides during the monsoon season are causing widespread damage, official data revealed on Tuesday, August 13.

The Indian Meteorological Department warned this week of “heavy rains” in most of the southern and northeastern states. Rescuers on Tuesday were searching for two people missing after a sudden surge in floodwaters killed nine people in Una district of Himachal Pradesh state, a district official said. A vehicle was swept away there, witnesses said. In total, more than 300 people have died in landslides and floods in India in recent weeks.

In neighboring Pakistan, the monsoon has killed 178 people, including 92 children, since rains began in July, according to the country’s disaster authority. In Nepal, 171 people have died since the monsoon began in mid-June, including 109 in landslides, according to the disaster authority. Weather-related natural disasters in South Asia are common during the June-September season, but climate change is increasing their frequency and severity, experts say.