Heavy monsoon rains hit Nepal, leaving widespread damage and 28 dead

With monsoon rains intensifying in Nepal, at least 14 people were killed in just 24 hours on June 25 and 26, 2024, raising the overall death toll to 28 since June 9 and causing significant property damage.

Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs has reported 28 deaths over the past 18 days, marking a tragic start to the monsoon season. The fatalities include 14 people killed by landslides, 13 by lightning, and one by flooding.

On June 26, Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) released a cautionary warning as heavy rains reached caution level at 6 stations.

“We recorded a total of 44 incidents on June 26. In those incidents, 14 people lost their lives, 8 due to landslides, 5 due to lightning, and 1 in flooding. 2 people are still unaccounted for in the incident of landslide while 10 people have sustained injuries,” said NDRRMA spokesperson Dijan Bhattarai.

Landslides claimed 5 lives in Lamjung, 2 in Kaski, and 1 in Okhaldhunga on June 26 alone and 1 death was recorded due to flooding.

So far 33 districts have been affected by the monsoon recording 147 incidents destroying roughly 1.9 million dollars worth of property.

The onset of monsoon generally starts on June 13 and ends on September 23 every year. The high mortality rate in Nepal during monsoon incidents is attributed to unplanned urbanization, the terrain, and settlements on slopes prone to landslides. The government estimates that almost 1.8 million people might be affected by monsoon-related incidents this season.

According to a statement by the 28th Session of the South Asian Climate Outlook Forum released on April 29, above-normal rainfall was forecast during this year’s monsoon season over most parts of South Asia except some areas over northern, eastern, and northeastern parts of the region, where below normal rainfall is most likely.

References:

¹ Daily disaster bulletin – NDRRMA – June 26, 2024

² 14 dead in 24 hours due to landslide, floods, lightning as monsoon spreads across Nepal – ANI – June 26, 2024

³ 28th Session of South Asian Climate Outlook Forum (SASCOF-28) and Climate Services User Forum (CSUF)
Pune, India – Summary – April 29, 2024

Featured image credit: NDRRMA