Nepal is reeling from a devastating natural disaster, as incessant rainfall has triggered deadly landslides and widespread flooding, claiming the lives of at least 38 people. This tragic event on Sunday adds immense pressure to the nation’s new interim government, which is still struggling to establish stability following recent, tumultuous protests that led to the ousting of the previous administration.
Since Saturday morning, key highways linking the capital city of Kathmandu to other parts of the country have been completely blocked. Police officials confirmed that air travel has also been severely disrupted, isolating many communities.
This transportation nightmare has left countless individuals stranded, many of whom were attempting to return to the capital after celebrating Dashain, Nepal’s largest Hindu festival. Recognizing the severe gravity of the crisis, the government took the unusual step of closing offices on both Sunday (typically a working day) and Monday.
Authorities have warned that the death toll is expected to climb as rescue efforts continue. In response, Nepal’s army swiftly mobilized troops and helicopters, launching extensive rescue operations in more than two dozen affected areas, according to a Sunday statement.
The Armed Police Force spokesman, Kalidas Dhaubaji, reported that landslides obliterated homes in Koshi Province, located in the southeast, resulting in at least 36 fatalities. Additionally, floods claimed two more lives. A further 11 people remain missing, among them four trekkers on the popular Langtang trail.
Beyond Koshi Province, the central regions of Bagmati and Madhesh also experienced significant devastation from the torrential downpour that began Friday night. Security forces were compelled to evacuate dozens of residents from vulnerable riverside slums in the Kathmandu Valley as raging rivers burst their banks and engulfed communities.
While the central provinces saw a reprieve from the rain by Sunday morning, heavy precipitation persisted in the eastern parts of the country, prolonging the crisis.
The severe weather extended its destructive reach into neighboring India. In Bihar, a state sharing a border with Nepal, at least 10 people died and 13 were injured due to floods and lightning strikes. With rivers dangerously swollen, much of Bihar was placed under an emergency alert, with residents urged to avoid low-lying regions.
Further east, in Darjeeling, West Bengal, a cyclone tragically killed at least 20 individuals, as reported by state lawmaker Harsh V. Shringla.
“Hilly areas are completely isolated, with roads obliterated,” Shringla shared on social media, emphasizing how this has “disrupted normal life and caused considerable hardship to many.”
Nepal, a compact Himalayan nation, is tragically accustomed to devastating natural disasters, with rain-triggered events claiming hundreds of lives and causing extensive property damage annually. However, this Sunday’s calamity strikes at an especially vulnerable moment, as the country’s infrastructure and emergency response capabilities are already compromised following a challenging political transition.
Just last month, widespread and often violent protests, fueled by deep-seated corruption and economic stagnation, led to the downfall of the previous government and left numerous state offices damaged.
Prime Minister Sushila Karki, at the helm of the newly formed interim government, addressed the nation in a brief video message, advising citizens to refrain from non-essential travel.
The 73-year-old Ms. Karki, a respected retired Supreme Court justice, was chosen by the protest movement to head the interim government. Her mandate is to dismantle a system widely perceived as having been manipulated by a handful of elite political families. Currently, she is diligently working to finalize her cabinet, restore government buildings that suffered significant damage from fires and ransacking, and has pledged to hold national elections early next year.
Reporting contributed by Mujib Mashal and Suhasini Raj.