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Nepal Floods: Search and Rescue Operations Ongoing After Devastating Monsoon Deluge
Tragedy strikes Nepal as monsoon floods claim at least 192 lives. Search and rescue teams work tirelessly to find the missing and clear blocked highways.
ND
by News Desk
2024-09-30
Nepal Floods: Search and Rescue Operations Ongoing After Devastating Monsoon Deluge

Search and rescue teams in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, continued their efforts on Monday after monsoon floods claimed at least 192 lives across the Himalayan nation. The heavy rainfall, described as the worst in over two decades, has led to widespread devastation, including landslides that blocked highways and inundated entire neighborhoods.

 

Home Ministry spokesman Rishi Ram Tiwari confirmed the grim statistics, stating that 192 people have died, with an additional 31 individuals reported missing. Among the casualties, at least 35 were buried alive when landslides struck vehicles on a highway south of Kathmandu.

 

Rescuers, equipped with knee-high rubber boots and shovels, are tirelessly clearing mud from the hardest-hit areas, many of which are unauthorized slum settlements along the riverside. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development highlighted that unplanned urban encroachment around the Bagmati River has exacerbated the disaster's impact.

 

The Nepalese army reported that over 4,000 people have been rescued using helicopters, motorboats, and rafts, bringing stranded families to safety. Meanwhile, bulldozers are being deployed to clear major highways that have been obstructed by debris, allowing for better access to aid and resources.

 

Merchants in Kathmandu are facing challenges as intercity roads remain blocked, drastically limiting the supply of fresh produce to the capital. “The farmers have their produce ready, but with the highways blocked, all of it is stuck,” noted Binay Shrestha, a worker at one of the city’s main markets.

 

Preliminary data from the Nepal weather bureau indicated record-breaking rainfall in the 24 hours leading up to Saturday morning, with a monitoring station at Kathmandu airport recording about 240 millimeters (9.4 inches) of rain—the highest figure since 2002.

 

The summer monsoon season, lasting from July to September, is critical for agriculture in South Asia, contributing 70-80% of the region's annual rainfall. However, it also brings the threat of severe floods and landslides. Experts have warned that climate change is worsening the frequency and intensity of these disasters, with more than 300 rain-related fatalities reported in Nepal this year alone.

 

In a show of solidarity, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his condolences over the loss of life in Nepal’s floods. “Our heart goes out to KP Sharma Oli and the people of Nepal at this difficult time,” he stated. “Having suffered calamitous floods ourselves in 2022, Pakistan stands in full solidarity with Nepal and is ready to extend any help necessary.”
Tagged:

Solidarity

ClimateChange

SearchAndRescue

NepalFloods

MonsoonDisaster
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