35 killed, thousands displaced as flash floods, landslides wreak havoc in Nepal

Monsoon-triggered flash floods and landslides have wreaked havoc in Nepal and claimed more than 35lives and displaced thousands in the past week.

In the worst-hit northwest Karnali province, thousands of residents were evacuated after their houses destroyed.

Officials are still searching for 22 people missing across the province, even though they have been facing difficulty in carrying out rescue operations in the mountainous region amid the inclement weather.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

'We have mobilised police officers on the ground. We have arranged a helicopter for air rescue from Surkhet," said one police spokesman, quoted by the Annapurna Post.

"However, unfortunately, due to the weather not improving, progress is not being made as expected."

Most cases of missing people have been reported from the low-lying Kalikot district.

Meanwhile, Nepal’s emergency authorities have sounded alarm in some areas of the province which lie near the Karnali river, whose water level has touched the dangerous 12m (39ft) level.

In #Banke, Western #Nepal, humanitarian partners are on the ground, supporting families affected by floods.

Under the anticipatory action programme, @WFP_Nepal will distribute cash assistance to help vulnerable families buy essentials & protect their assets before floods hit. pic.twitter.com/3U6uGtWzWY — WFP Asia Pacific (@WFPAsiaPacific) October 10, 2022

According to local media, several suspension bridges over the river have been washed away, and highways and district roads in Karnali Province have been blocked.

Meanwhile, the UN's humanitarian agencies said food and medicines are being distributed to the worst affected communities in western Nepal.

Monsoon usually begins in June and ends in October, but this kind of intensity has caught Nepal off guard.

According to the National Emergency Operation Centre, at least 110 people have died this year in rain-related disasters.

Nepal is not the only Asian country that has been facing an unusually intense spell of monsoon rains.

In Pakistan, more than 1,700 people have been killed and 33 million are displaced as a third of the country was submerged under water in the worst floods to hit Pakistan, brought about by unprecedented monsoon rains since mid-June.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE: