Kathmandu: At least 25 people were killed and 400 others injured as a massive rainstorm hit several villages in southern Nepal , officials said Monday.The storm hit many villages in Bara and Parsa districts Sunday evening, according to the Home Ministry officials.While 24 people were killed in Bara district, 128 kilometers south of Kathmandu , one person died in Parsa district , they said.The National Emergency Operation Centre said the injured are undergoing treatment at various health facilities.Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli expressed sadness over the loss of lives and extended heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.The officials said army and police personnel have been mobilised to carry out rescue and relief operations.</s>Over two dozen people were killed in a severe thunderstorm that swept through parts of Southern Nepal and hundreds more were injured, police and officials said on Monday.

Nepal’s Prime Minster K.P. Sharma Oli in a tweet said 25 people had been killed, and about 400 were injured.

“Helicopters have been kept ready for immediate rescue and relief,” Oli said in his post.

He offered condolences to the families of the victims.

Rajesh Paudel, the top bureaucrat of Bara district, where the storm hit, said the death toll may increase as rescuers were still trying to reach many of those affected.

Bara is located about 62 km South of Kathmandu, and borders India’s Eastern state of Bihar.

Pre-monsoon thunderstorms are common in Nepal during the spring season, although are rarely of an intensity that causes high casualties.

Police officer Sanu Ram Bhattarai said rescue teams had been dispatched to the affected villages, however reaching the victims was difficult at night.

Television channels said the storm and accompanying heavy rainfall, uprooted trees and electric and telephone poles, crushing some people to death.</s>At least 27 people were killed and 400 others injured as a massive rainstorm hit several places in Southern Nepal on Sunday, flipping vehicles and toppling trees and electricity poles.

The rainstorm swept through villages in Bara and Parsa districts on Sunday night. According to officials, 26 were killed in Bara, 128 kilometres south of Kathmandu, while one person died in neighbouring Parsa.

High winds flipped cars and blew one passenger bus off a highway, causing fatalities. Police said other deaths were caused by collapsing walls and falling bricks in homes and toppled trees and electricity poles.

Around 400 people have been injured. According to the National Emergency Operation Centre, the injured are undergoing treatment at various health services.

Security personnel have been deployed to the affected areas for rescue and relief operations. Villagers are facing food scarcity following the incident.

According to the District Police Office, Parsa, the number of casualties could see a rise as rescue efforts have gained pace

Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli has expressed sadness over the loss of lives and extended heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.

The prime minister also visited the storm-hit areas.

An emergency meeting of the cabinet of Province No. 2, where the incident occurred, has been called to discuss the ways to tackle the situation.

Prime Minister's Chief Advisor Bishnu Rimal said that army personnel have been mobilised.</s>Death toll may increase as rescuers contend with heavy rain and uprooted power lines

This article is more than 5 months old

This article is more than 5 months old

More than two dozen people have been killed in a severe thunderstorm that swept through parts of southern Nepal and hundreds more were injured, police and officials said.

Nepal’s prime minister KP Sharma Oli wrote in a tweet that 25 people had been killed on Sunday, and around 400 were injured.

“Helicopters have been kept ready for immediate rescue and relief,” Oli said. He offered condolences to the families of the victims.

Rajesh Paudel, government administrator of Bara district where the storm hit, said the death toll may increase as rescuers were still trying to reach many of those affected.

Bara is located about 39 miles (62km) south of Kathmandu, and borders India’s eastern state of Bihar.

Pre-monsoon thunderstorms are common in Nepal during the spring season, but are rarely of an intensity that causes high casualties.

Police superintendent Sanu Ram Bhattarai said rescue teams had been dispatched to the affected villages, but reaching the victims was difficult at night.

Television channels said the storm and accompanying heavy rainfall, uprooted trees and electric and telephone poles, crushing some people to death.</s>KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Over two dozen people were killed in a severe thunderstorm that swept through parts of southern Nepal late on Sunday and hundreds more were injured, police and officials said.

Nepal’s Prime Minster K.P. Sharma Oli in a tweet said 25 people had been killed, and around 400 were injured.

“Helicopters have been kept ready for immediate rescue and relief,” Oli said in his post. He offered condolences to the families of the victims.

Rajesh Paudel, the top bureaucrat of Bara district, where the storm hit, said the death toll may increase as rescuers were still trying to reach many of those affected.

Bara is located about 62 km (39 miles) south of Kathmandu, and borders India’s eastern state of Bihar.

Pre-monsoon thunderstorms are common in Nepal during the spring season, but are rarely of an intensity that causes high casualties.

Police officer Sanu Ram Bhattarai said rescue teams had been dispatched to the affected villages, but reaching the victims was difficult at night.

Television channels said the storm and accompanying heavy rainfall, uprooted trees and electric and telephone poles, crushing some people to death.</s>KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) - A rainstorm swept through southern Nepal on Sunday, leaving at least 25 people dead and hundreds more injured, officials said.

Nepal's Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli in a Twitter message said he received a report of 25 people killed and 400 injured.

He said security forces have been alerted. Rescue and helicopters with night vision capabilities were waiting for the weather to clear to help bring the injured from the villages.

Government administrator Rajesh Poudel said the number of deaths would likely increase as the storm had hit many villages in the Bara district, located about 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of the capital, Kathmandu.

He said police and army rescuers were fanned around the district trying to reach the villages, but rescue efforts were difficult at night.

The injured were being brought to a hospital by cars and ambulances, but roads in many villages had been blocked by fallen trees and electricity poles.

Poudel said most of the deaths and injuries were because of flying objects, falling huts and trees. Most people in the district are farmers.</s>Update: At least 27 people have been killed and hundreds injured after a freak storm hit southern Nepal, destroying houses, uprooting trees and toppling electricity poles, officials said.

The thunderstorm swept through the district of Bara and adjoining areas late Sunday killing at least 27 people and injuring more than 600, according to the home ministry.

"The winds took away everything, my home and my family," Ram Babu Patel, 45, who lost his wife in the storm in a village in Bara, told AFP over the phone.

"The storm destroyed everything in its path. Houses have no roofs and trees are all down," Tharu said.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli expressed his condolences in a tweet and said that the government would do its best for treatment of the injured.

Kathmandu: At least 25 people have been killed and hundreds injured after stormy weather hit southern Nepal, destroying houses, uprooting trees and toppling electricity poles, officials said.

"At least 25 people have been killed and many injured. Search and rescue workers have been deployed," Bhattarai said, warning that the toll may rise, with information about the disaster still coming in.

Prime minister KP Sharma Oli expressed his condolences in a tweet and said that as well as the 25 killed, around 400 were injured.

Storms causing such high casualties in spring are rare in Nepal. Felled trees and electrical poles have blocked the main access highway, hindering rescue efforts, officials said.

Hospitals in the districts were filled with patients, and were facing an acute shortage of blood.

Thunderstorms outside the regular monsoon season are common in Nepal, but never has one been so deadly. Hundreds were killed in 2017, when floods devastated areas across South Asia.</s>KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Over two dozen people were killed in a severe thunderstorm that swept through parts of southern Nepal late on Sunday and hundreds more were injured, police and officials said.

Nepal’s Prime Minster K.P. Sharma Oli in a tweet said 25 people had been killed, and around 400 were injured.

“Helicopters have been kept ready for immediate rescue and relief,” Oli said in his post. He offered condolences to the families of the victims.

Rajesh Paudel, the top bureaucrat of Bara district, where the storm hit, said the death toll may increase as rescuers were still trying to reach many of those affected.

Bara is located about 62 km (39 miles) south of Kathmandu, and borders India’s eastern state of Bihar.

Pre-monsoon thunderstorms are common in Nepal during the spring season, but are rarely of an intensity that causes high casualties.

Police officer Sanu Ram Bhattarai said rescue teams had been dispatched to the affected villages, but reaching the victims was difficult at night.

Television channels said the storm and accompanying heavy rainfall, uprooted trees and electric and telephone poles, crushing some people to death.</s>At least 25 people were killed and 400 others injured as a massive rainstorm hit several villages in southern Nepal, officials said Monday.

The storm hit many villages in Bara and Parsa districts Sunday evening, according to the Home Ministry officials.

While 24 people were killed in Bara district, 128 kilometers south of Kathmandu, one person died in Parsa district, they said.

The National Emergency Operation Centre said the injured are undergoing treatment at various health facilities.

Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli expressed sadness over the loss of lives and extended heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.

The officials said army and police personnel have been mobilised to carry out rescue and relief operations.</s>A severe rainstorm swept through parts of southern Nepal late on Sunday, killing at least 25 people and injuring nearly 400, the country’s Prime Minister KP Oli said on Twitter.

“Helicopters have been kept ready for immediate rescue and relief,” Oli said, adding that security forces have been alerted. The rescue teams were waiting for the weather to clear to help the injured people in affected villages, the Nepali prime minister said.

The thunderstorm has hit many villages in Bara and Parsa districts, reports said. Bara, located nearly 128 km south of Kathmandu, borders Bihar.

At least 24 people were killed in Bara district, and one person died in Parsa district, PTI quoted unidentified Nepali home ministry officials as saying. The number of deaths was likely to increase as rescuers were still trying to reach many of those affected, Rajesh Poudel, a bureaucrat of Bara district, told Reuters.

Poudel said most of the deaths and injuries were caused by falling objects and collapsing huts and trees, AP reported.

Prime Minister’s Chief Advisor Bishnu Rimal said army personnel have been mobilised. “Two battalions has been mobilised immediately there, here in Mid Air Base, Kathmandu; night vision helicopters are on stand by with rescue team,” Rimal told The Himalayan Times. “Our security agencies are waiting for favourable weather conditions [sic].”

Nepal’s National Emergency Operation Centre said the injured were being treated at various health facilities, PTI reported. The injured were brought to a hospital in cars and ambulances, but roads in many villages were blocked due to fallen trees and electricity poles.
Severe thunderstorms in Nepal leave at least 25 people dead while more than 400 others are injured.