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Updated: Aug 12, 2017 20:34 IST

At least 36 people were killed and dozens reported missing after torrential rains triggered floods and landslides in parts of Nepal, the home ministry said on Saturday.

Many of the casualties were reported from the Terai region bordering India, which faced massive flooding after receiving heavy rainfall since Friday. The weatherman has warned that the country will receive more rain on Sunday.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba called an emergency meeting with home minister Janardan Sharma, police chiefs and other officials to expedite an immediate search-and-rescue operation in Tarai.

“I could not visit and inspect the flood-affected areas due to bad weather,” Sharma said. His ministry estimated that tens of thousands were displaced due to the rains.

Several rivers, including the Koshi and the Bagmati are close to or have crossed danger levels. Deputy Prime Minister and foreign minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara requested India open the gates of the barrage on the Koshi — also called the “sorrow of Bihar” — as rising water levels in the river have put dozens of human settlements at risk.

However, by opening the gates, parts of India too would be under risk of submergence — the river has become a regular diplomatic issue between Nepal and India during the rainy season.

Images on social media showed the runway at Biratnagar airport in eastern Morang district submerged in a metre of water, with an empty plane stranded on the tarmac. Morang police chief Arun BC said the airport had been shut due to the flooding.

(with inputs from Agencies)

First Published: Aug 12, 2017 17:17 IST</s>Monsoon floods and landslides have killed at least 66 people across Nepal and India but officials fear that figure could almost double as rescuers search for dozens believed lost under mud and in submerged villages.

Authorities Sunday upgraded the death toll from flash flooding across landlocked Nepal to 49 as the water kept rising, forcing thousands to flee for higher ground.

"Another 17 are missing. Search and rescue works are underway but the water levels have not declined yet," said Shankar Hari Acharya, the chief of Nepal's national emergency centre.

The Red Cross estimated a higher death toll of 53, with dozens more missing and injured and thousands of homes destroyed.

In neighbouring India, rescuers were desperately trying to reach two packed buses swept into a gorge by a landslide so powerful it destroyed an entire stretch of highway.

The coaches had stopped for a tea break around midnight Saturday in Himachal Pradesh when tonnes of rock and mud cascaded down a mountainside.

Seventeen bodies have been recovered from the accident site in the Himalayan state, said Sandeep Kadam, a senior official at the scene.

But dozens were still missing somewhere at the bottom of the ravine, with soldiers and rescuers clawing through the mud and rock to reach them.

"Around 200 metres of national highway washed away with two buses and more than 50 feared buried," said Indian army spokesman Colonel Aman Anand, who was helping coordinate rescue efforts.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his condolences and prayers for those affected by the accident.

"Pained by the loss of lives due to landslide-related accidents in HP's Mandi district," he posted on Twitter, using the acronym for Himachal Pradesh state.

The disaster followed days of heavy rain, which loosens the soil on steep hillsides and threatens villages at the foot of mountains every monsoon season.

Hundreds have died across India in torrential rain, floods and landslides since the onset of the wet season in April.

In Nepal the toll from this year's monsoon -- which typically lasts from late June until the end of August -- has already eclipsed last year, with more than 100 people confirmed dead.

Last weekend in the central lowlands, four girls from the same family drowned when they fell into a flooded roadside ditch.

Nepal's weather department warned that heavy rain was expected to continue for another day, following days of torrential downpours.

"There isn't a house without water," said Raghu Ram Mehta, a resident of the southern district of Sunsari which has suffered nine deaths, the highest of any district.

"Hundreds of families are taking shelter in local schools."

Footage aired on Nepali TV showed villagers wading through waist-high water with their belongings and using boats to reach higher ground.

Families perched on trees with young children overnight as flood waters swept away homes in a village in the southern district of Chitwan, local media reported.

In the popular jungle safari resort of Sauraha in Chitwan, hotels were forced to shift their guests to higher floors as water rushed in.

A hotel owner said they used elephants to transport tourist

highway and airport to help them return to the capital Kathmandu.

Biratnagar airport in the eastern district of Morang was closed after being submerged in a metre of water, authorities at the international terminal said.

"I have already instructed authorities concerned to rescue flood victims, move them to safer locations and immediately provide relief to them," Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba said in a video recording Saturday.</s>At least 20 people have reportedly lost their lives and more than 50 have gone missing due to the floods and landslide triggered by incessant rainfall from past 24 hours in various parts of Nepal.

 

 A total of six people died due to water borne disaster in the low lying district of Sunsari where 50 people are still missing, local media reported.



 Four people lost their lives in the Banke district after the torrential rain flooded into the residential areas.



 The local police in the area informed that three children lost their lives after their house got collapsed.



 The identity of persons found submerged in water is yet to be known.



 In the hilly regions of Nepal, 10 people have lost their lives after the landslide collapsed their houses.

 

 Four people have died in the Panchthar district of Nepal after their house was buried by the landslide last night.

 

 Another four people have died in similar incident in Sidnhuli district of Nepal where a house was buried by the land mass from the part of a hill.

 

 The incessant rainfall with the active monsoon over the various parts of Nepal has created havoc in the country throwing the lives of the people out of gear.

 

 The Government of Nepal has issued warning with prediction of more rainfall in the coming days urging precautious measures.

 

 "There is high chance of heavy downpour in East to the Mid- Terai- Chure areas of Terai. The weather over other areas in Nepal will keep on changing. Let's be more precautious," the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) tweeted Saturday morning.



 The department has also requested the people residing in the low lying southern plains of Nepal as well as residents near the river to get to the higher grounds claiming the condition might last for some more days.



 Many of the villages in the southern plains of Nepal have been daunted by floods, compelling over 2, 000 people to move to other places. (ANI)</s>Rescue work under way in both countries as heavy rain forces thousands to move to higher grounds in Nepal.

At least 49 people have been killed across Nepal and 17 more in neighbouring India in flash flooding and landslides as rescuers search for dozens more missing.

Shankar Hari Acharya, the chief of Nepal's national emergency centre, said on Sunday that thousands were forced to move to higher grounds.

"Search and rescue works are under way but the water levels have not declined yet," he said.

In India, rescuers were trying to reach two packed buses swept into a gorge by a landslide so powerful it destroyed an entire stretch of highway.

The coaches had stopped for a tea break around midnight on Saturday in Himachal Pradesh when tonnes of rock and mud cascaded down a mountainside.

Seventeen bodies have been recovered from the accident site in the Himalayan state, said Sandeep Kadam, a senior government official at the scene.

But dozens were still missing somewhere at the bottom of the ravine, with soldiers and rescuers clawing through the mud and rock to reach them.

"Around 200 metres of national highway washed away with two buses and more than 50 feared buried," said Colonel Aman Anand, Indian army spokesman, who was helping coordinate rescue efforts.

The disaster followed days of heavy rain, which loosens the soil on steep hillsides and threatens villages at the foot of mountains every monsoon season.

Hundreds have died across India in torrential rain, floods and landslides since the onset of the wet season in April.

In Nepal, the toll from this year's monsoon - which typically lasts from late June until the end of August - has already surpassed that of last year, with more than 100 people confirmed dead.</s>Kathmandu, Aug 12 (IANS) With the Koshi river, also called the 'sorrow of Bihar', flowing above the danger level and threatening dozens of human settlements with submergence, the Nepal government on Saturday requested India to open the gates of the Koshi barrage.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Krishna Bahadur Mahara called on Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri to open the gates of Koshi barrage as the rising river level has brought thousands of hectares of land in Nepal under water and threatens dozens of human settlements with submergence.

For India, opening the barrage gates is likely to pose a problem as it would cause flooding in downstream areas and villages.

The issue of Koshi and floods has become a regular diplomatic matter between Nepal and India, mainly during the rainy season.

The appeal to India comes as around 30 people have died and dozens have gone missing in the Nepal floods and landslides in the last 24 hours caused by torrential rain, the Nepal Home Ministry said.

Nepal is facing difficulty in rescue and search missions due to continuous rain. The weatherman has warned of more rain on Sunday.

The deaths have mostly taken place in the Terai area of Nepal where the land is almost submerged in flood waters.

Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba called an emergency meeting of the Home Minister, police chiefs and other officials to expedite search and rescue operations in the Terai.

Terai in Nepal is plains land that usually gets affected by rain in the monsoon season due to flooding in rivers originating from the Himalayas.

"I could not manage to visit and inspect the flood affected areas due to bad weather," Home Minister Janardan Sharma said.

People, activists and party leaders in Terai have called on the government to conduct immediate search and rescue operations in the Terai to prevent further casualties. Almost the entire southern plain has been inundated with flood waters and television footage shows the pathetic condition of people living in the Terai.

The Home Ministry estimates that over 10,000 people have been displaced in various parts of the Terai.

Nepal has witnessed torrential rain since Friday causing landslides in the hill region and floods in the Terai. According to the weather forecasting division, several rivers, including Koshi, Bagmati and others are crossing the danger level.

Several chunks of some highways have collapsed due the rain and landslides and even airports in the Terai region are covered by water.

The Koshi river, a vital lifeline for millions of people in Nepal and India, flows from Tibet and through Nepal before joining the Ganga in northern Bihar in India, and eventually flows into the Bay of Bengal.

The Koshi Barrage is a mega structure near the international border with India. Built between 1958 and 1962, the barrage has 56 gates which are controlled by the Nepal Army and Indian officials from down the river. The infrastructure is crucial for flood management in both countries during the monsoon.</s>Nepal floods, landslides leave at least 49 dead, dozens missing, officials say

Landslides and flooding triggered by heavy rain have killed at least 49 people in southern Nepal and left thousands homeless, officials say.

The toll is expected to rise with three dozen people reported missing. Another 17 were injured.

The heavy rain, which mainly hit the country's southern plains, led to the evacuation of 5,000 people, a Home Ministry official said.

More than 30 people were reported dead on Saturday.

Army and police continued search and rescue operations, with more than 34,000 houses submerged, the official added.

"The number of dead could increase as we are still compiling the final tally," said Laxmi Pun, an aide to Home Minister Janardan Sharma.

The Red Cross estimated 100,000 people were affected by the disaster, with one official describing how the storm had cut off communication and electricity, adding to the challenges in rescuing people and distributing aid.

In the eastern city of Biratnagar, the airport was closed after the runway was submerged under more than half a metre of water.

Monsoon rains, which start in June and continue through to September, are important for farm-dependent Nepal, but they also cause havoc each year.</s>Flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains have left more than 30 people dead in Nepal in the past 24 hours, authorities said on Saturday.

Ten more people were missing and the number of dead looked set to climb as large parts of the country were under water, officials said.

Rescue teams of soldiers, police and local people have been deployed to help those trapped on rooftops or on higher ground, officials added, as TV pictures showed damaged roads and bridges.

Weather experts said more rain was expected overnight and the government has told residents to remain alert. The Koshi river in the south of the country - a main waterway - was above the danger level, authorities warned.

Monsoon rains from June to September are important for farm-dependent Nepal, but they also cause havoc each year.

"It has left extensive damage," Dipak Kafle, a spokesman for Nepal's Home Ministry, told Reuters. He said there was no estimate yet for property losses.

"We have more than 30 people confirmed dead. But we are more focused on rescuing those who are alive than collecting details about the dead," he said, indicating the death toll could go up.



In the eastern city of Biratnagar an airport runway was under two feet of water, TV footage showed, leading to a suspension of flights. Highways were either damaged or inundated, disrupting transport, police said.

Local officials have opened temporary shelters for displaced people in schools or public buildings.</s>With 30 people missing, the death toll in Nepal rise even further (Reuters)</s>KATHMANDU
• Monsoon floods and landslides have killed at least 66 people across Nepal and India, but officials fear that figure could almost double as rescuers search for dozens believed lost under the mud and in submerged villages.

The authorities yesterday upgraded the death toll from flash flooding across landlocked Nepal to 49 as thousands fled for higher ground.

"Another 17 are missing. Search and rescue works are under way but the water levels have not declined yet," said Mr Shankar Hari Acharya, the chief of Nepal's national emergency centre.

The Red Cross estimated a higher death toll of 53, with dozens more missing and injured, and thousands of homes destroyed.

In neighbouring India, rescuers were desperately trying to reach two packed buses swept into a gorge by a landslide.

Seventeen bodies have been recovered from the accident site in the Himalayan state, but dozens were still missing somewhere at the bottom of the ravine.

"Around 200m of national highway washed away with two buses and more than 50 are feared buried," said Indian army spokesman Aman Anand, who was helping coordinate rescue efforts.</s>At least 25 dead in Nepal landslides, floods

A rescue team from the Armed Police Force stands near damaged houses in the landslide area in Sindhupalchowk district in this file picture. Floods and landslides caused by torrential monsoon rains have killed at least 25 people in the last two days across Nepal. — Reuters pic KATHMANDU, Aug 12 — Floods and landslides caused by torrential monsoon rains have killed at least 25 people in the last two days across Nepal, officials said today.

Heavy rains have hit more than a dozen districts in the country’s far eastern region as well as some areas in the west since yesterday morning, the home ministry said.

Flooding has occurred across the densely populated lowlands that border India, while some remote districts in the hilly areas of the far east have been hit by landslides triggered by the monsoon rains.

“We are still collecting the details of the loss. According to the preliminary reports to the ministry over 25 people are feared dead,” Home Ministry spokesman Deepak Kafle told AFP.

The Prime Minister’s office issued a statement putting the death toll at more than two dozen since yesterday.

Thirteen people died in eastern districts and at least four others are missing, the head of the region’s police Ramesh Bhattarai said.

Telephone and electricity lines have also been affected by the heavy downpour making it difficult to confirm the full extent of the damage in remote areas, the police chief added.

Roads across the southern plains have been blocked by the rains and three highway bridges collapsed in western Banke district, Home Minister Janardan Sharma said at a press conference.

Images on social media showed the runway at Biratnagar airport in eastern Morang district submerged in a metre (three feet) of water with an empty plane stranded on the tarmac.

Chief of Morang district police Arun BC said that airport had been shut due to the flooding.

The most recent deaths bring the total death toll from this year’s monsoon to over 90, according to government figures. Nearly 100 people died last year in Nepal during the rainy season, which typically begins in late June and lasts until the end of August.

Last weekend in the central lowlands, four girls from the same family drowned when they fell into a flooded roadside ditch.

Another girl died and one was injured when they fell in open drains that had been submerged by monsoon flooding in the Kathmandu Valley last month.

Footage shot by a bystander shows one of the girls tentatively navigating a flooded road, before suddenly disappearing into the brown muddy water. A few seconds later she appears out of another drain about 10 metres away.

The video went viral on social media in Nepal, sparking outrage over the condition of the roads in the capital.

Nepal’s weather department issued an alert today warning that heavy rains were expected to continue for another day, and advised districts to close schools and residents to stay indoors. — AFP
Flooding in Nepal leaves at least 36 dead and dozens more missing.