More than 30 people dead or missing after floods and landslides hit Nepal

More than 30 people are dead or missing after floods and landslides triggered by heavy downpour hit Sindhupalchok District in Nepal from September 12 to 13, 2020, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA). Around 17 households have been affected while a dozen houses have been buried or washed away.

Heavy rains struck the district overnight, causing landslides and flooding that killed around 11 people and injured five others.

NDRRMA added that 20 people are still missing, and crews from the military and police have been deployed to conduct relief and rescue operations. However, the efforts were being hampered by the ongoing severe weather.

At least 17 families have been affected so far, while around 11 houses have been swept away in floods or buried in landslides. 

"We fear more landslides as the soil has grown weaker after the earthquake," said Bahrabise mayor Nimphunjo Sherpa. 

Nepal’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said the weather station at nearby Gumthang registered 77.6 mm (3 inches) of rain on September 12 and 141.2 mm (5.5 inches) on September 13. 

The recent tragedy came weeks after Baglung District was hit by severe flash floods and a massive landslide that killed at least 14 and left 41 others missing.

Home ministry official Murari Wasi told Reuters that the event was "the biggest natural disaster of the year" for Nepal.

Since the monsoon season began in June, at least 314 people have already lost their lives, 111 people went missing, and 160 have been injured.

Featured image credit: NDRRMA