Relentless rains over the past three days have triggered devastating floods and landslides across Nepal, killing at least 112 people as of Saturday night. As many as 38 others have gone missing in the disasters.
The home ministry’s statement issued at 10:30 pm confirmed 99 deaths, 68 people missing and 100 injured.
However, data obtained by the Post’s local correspondents and confirmed with the Nepal Police and Armed Police Force headquarters showed 112 deaths nationwide. According to the statistics, at least 20 people lost their lives in Lalitpur, 15 in Dhading, 34 in Kavre, 12 in Kathmandu, 7 in Makawanpur, 5 each in Bhaktapur and Panchthar, 4 in Sindhupalchok, 3 in Dolakha, 2 each in Dhankuta and Solukhumbu and 1 each in Ramechhap, Mahottari and Sunsari districts. According to the ministry, at least 68 people have gone missing in Panchthar, Jhapa, Mahottari, Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Kavre, Sindhuli, Dhading, Sindhupalchok, Dolakha and Rupandehi districts, according to Kathmandu Post reports.
The floods and landslides have thrown life out of gear in many parts of the country, with many highways and road stretches disrupted, hundreds of houses and bridges buried or swept away, and hundreds of families displaced. Thousands of passengers have been stranded in various places due to road disruption.
The central and eastern districts have been hardest hit by the water-induced disasters. Kathmandu Valley witnessed a huge loss of lives with at least 37 deaths. All highways and road sections linking Kathmandu, the national capital, have been disconnected.
Kathmandu Valley on Saturday witnessed the highest rainfall recorded since at least 1970, when the country first started the system of measuring and recording rainfall in the country.
According to the details provided by the home ministry as of 10:30 pm on Saturday, at least 12 people died in Kathmandu, 20 people died in Lalitpur and 5 in Bhaktapur.
A landslide at Jhyaple Khola along the Tribhuwan Highway in Dhading has claimed the lives of at least 14 people, whose bodies were recovered from two buses buried in the debris. They were later taken to TU Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj for postmortems. According to Senior Superintendent of Police Basant Rajoure, police teams deployed from Kathmandu and Dhading retrieved the bodies on Saturday evening.
Five bodies were recovered from a microbus carrying the number plate Lu 1 Ja 4578, while nine bodies were found in another bus, the registration number of which has yet to be ascertained. The search operation at the site continues, and police deployed there fear the death toll could rise.
“Further rescue efforts are underway at the site as police continue to search for more victims,” police said.
Around half a dozen vehicles were caught in the landslide, leading to the blockage of the key entry point into Kathmandu. Hundreds of passengers have been stranded in various road stretches due to road disruption.
As many as 34 people died and 26 others went missing in floods and landslides in Kavre district. Those killed were from Temal Rural Municipality, Roshi Rural Municipality, Dhulikhel, Banepa, Panauti, Namobuddha and Bhumlu.
Bhotekoshi Bailey bridge collapse cuts off Tatopani trade route
Bhotekoshi River has swept away the Bailey bridge connecting Nepal’s Tatopani border with China, effectively severing the key trade route. The collapse has isolated villages in wards 2 and 3 of Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality, forcing locals to use jungle trails for transport.
The Bailey bridge, an essential infrastructure for commercial activities with China, was installed after a 2017 landslide destroyed a permanent concrete bridge on the Araniko highway. Despite the importance of this route for trade, especially with goods bound for the upcoming Dashain festival, the government has been criticised for neglecting to rebuild a durable replacement.
Tatopani customs officials confirmed that the destruction of the bridge has halted the movement of containers, severely affecting trade. Local businesses, particularly those relying on imports of essential goods, face significant disruptions. “Now, transporting goods on foot will be the only option, and this will be extremely difficult,” said an official from Tatopani customs.
Flooding has also started eroding the customs yard, further hampering trade resumption. Given the precarious position of the bridge on rocky cliffs, even temporary fixes, such as placing pipes across the river, are seen as impractical.
Similarly, the rain-swollen Sunkoshi river swept away two motorable bridges on Saturday. The concrete bridge at Khurkot linking Sindhuli and Ramechhap districts was swept away, disconnecting Ramechhap and Dolakha with Tarai.
Likewise, the bridge over the Sunkoshi river at Phoksingtar linking Udayapur and Khotang district was swept away on Saturday afternoon. “The floods took with them the bridge at around 4pm,” said Minraj Raut, a local of Phoksingtar.
Six ANFA academy players found dead
Six players of the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) academy were found dead after a landslide buried them at Indrasarowar Rural Municipaity-3 in Makwanpur district on Saturday. The ANFA had kept 40 academy players at a building of Batsaladevi Secondary School in Indrasarowar-3 for the under-14 training camp.
According to the ANFA, six among the players went missing in the landslide while they were being taken to a safer place at around 6:30am after the school was deemed at risk of water-induced disaster. Personnel from Nepal Police and Armed Police Force retrieved the bodies, which were then taken to Kathmandu in a Nepal Army helicopter.
Swollen rivers inundate settlements in Kathmandu Valley
As incessant rain continues since Thursday, water levels in major rivers including Bagmati, Bishnumati, and Dhobikhola of Kathmandu have risen significantly. Nakkhu, Balkumari and Gwarko areas of Lalitpur have been inundated after the waters of the Karmanasha, Nakkhu, Godavari and Bagmati rivers entered the settlements. Hanumante River in Bhaktapur crossed the danger mark and several riverbank settlements have been inundated.
The rivers have overflown to settlements in several places displacing hundreds of people. Jagati Kamalbinayak road has been closed as floodwaters from the Hanumante river entered the settlements.
Red alert at Koshi barrage, river flows over Koshi barrage
The Saptakoshi, the country’s biggest river, started flowing over the Koshi barrage due to the incessant rains in the catchment areas on Saturday. According to Chief District Officer of Saptari Mekh Bahadur Magrati, vehicular movement has been banned over the Koshi barrage bridge from Saturday evening with the increasing water flow in the river.
Water level in the Saptakoshi was recorded at 567,000 cusec at 7pm on Saturday. All 56 sluices have been opened since Saturday morning. The barrage had a capacity of holding 950,000 cusec water flow when it was built in 1962. A red alert notice is issued when the water flow crosses 500,000 cusec due to siltation.
Meanwhile, around 500 houses have been inundated at wards 3, 4 and 5 of Tilathi Koiladi Rural Municipality in Saptari due to heavy rains over the past three days.
