A general view shows an area submerged in flood waters after the Bagmati river overflowed during monsoon rains in Kathmandu on September 28, 2024. Agence France-Presse
KATHMANDU — Low-lying neighborhoods in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu were inundated by surging floodwaters on Sunday after ferocious monsoon rains that police said had killed at least 101 people around the Himalayan republic.
Deadly rain-related floods and landslides are common across South Asia during the monsoon season from June to September, but experts say climate change is increasing their frequency and severity.
Article continues after this advertisementLarge swathes of eastern and central Nepal have been inundated since Friday with flash floods reported in several rivers and extensive damage to the country’s highways.
FEATURED STORIES GLOBALNATION Putin hosts summit to show West it can't keep Russia off global stage GLOBALNATION China says it reached 'resolution' with India on contested border issues GLOBALNATION P100,000 reward up for info on missing US vlogger in ZamboangaREAD: Nepal landslide sweeps 2 buses with over 50 people into river
“The death toll has reached 101, and 64 people are missing,” police spokesperson Dan Bahadur Karki told AFP.
Article continues after this advertisement“There is likely to be an increase in the death toll as our search and rescue mission proceeds in the affected areas,” he added.
Article continues after this advertisementThe Kathmandu valley recorded 240 millimeters (9.4 inches) of rain in the 24 hours to Saturday morning, the country’s weather bureau told the Kathmandu Post newspaper.
Article continues after this advertisementREAD: Floods, landslides leave scores dead across Nepal, India
It was the highest rainfall recorded in the capital since at least 1970, the report said.
Subscribe to our daily newsletter