At least 21 killed as floods, landslides hit Nepal

By Deepak Adhikari

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AA) – At least 21 people have been killed and 10 injured after torrential monsoon rains spread across Nepal, triggering landslides and floods, officials said Saturday.

Ten others are missing, they said.

“We are searching for the missing. Some 50 people have been rescued from different areas [of the country],” police said in a statement.

Heavy monsoon rains over the last three days have triggered landslides and floods, causing inundation, death and devastation in the country’s central and eastern regions.

In the capital, Kathmandu, emergency workers rescued dozens of people in inflatable boats after their homes were inundated by an overflowing river. Three migrant workers were killed Friday when a brick wall collapsed after rain on the city’s eastern outskirts.

The country’s disaster management agency said Friday that helicopters were on standby to airlift people affected by the floods and landslides, which have blocked several highways across the country, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.

Hundreds of Nepalis die each year from floods and landslides during the country’s monsoon season, which runs between June and September.