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Today, officials announced that the death toll from floods and landslides resulting from the monsoon winds that Nepal is exposed to has risen to at least 104 people, with 64 people remaining missing.
The devastating rains, which began late last Thursday evening, destroyed large parts of the country, especially in the eastern and central regions.
According to Nepal Police spokesman, Dhan Bahadur Karki, 73 people have been seriously injured in different areas since the day before yesterday.
“The search for missing persons is still ongoing, while the affected families are being transferred to safe places,” Karki said. “It may take two or a few more days.”
According to the armed police forces, about 3,267 people were transferred from the affected areas to safe places.
More than half of the deaths occurred in the capital, Kathmandu, and its surrounding areas, which were severely affected by flash floods and landslides.
Local media described the rainfall in Kathmandu as the worst in decades. The government announced the provision of free treatment for the injured, and relief packages for the affected families.
In a related development, heavy rains caused severe damage to infrastructure, including roads and bridges.
While domestic flights have partially resumed, many main roads linking Kathmandu to the rest of the country remain blocked due to landslides, and electricity and internet services have been cut in some areas.
The government decided to close all schools across the country for three days, and suspend all existing exams, starting today, Sunday, according to a statement issued by the Minister of Education, Science and Technology.
Despite the improvement in the weather in Kathmandu, the authorities expected more rain to fall in isolated parts of the country, until late Sunday evening.
It is worth noting that the mountainous terrain and the presence of many rivers in Nepal make the country particularly vulnerable to natural disasters.
