At least 27 people have been killed in rain-induced disasters across Nepal since September 24, officials said on Tuesday. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), four people remain missing and eight have been injured in incidents linked to heavy rainfall, including floods and landslides.
The NDRRMA said 20 people were killed in landslides, four in floods and three in other incidents related to heavy rainfall during the period. The disasters affected 1,082 families and resulted in the deaths of 114 livestock. A total of 227 houses were completely destroyed and another 142 were partially damaged, while 31 bridges were also affected by floods and landslides. The authority recorded 542 rain-induced disaster incidents between September 24 and Sunday.
More than 100 mm of rainfall was recorded at 186 measurement stations across Nepal during the four-day period through September 27, according to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. The highest rainfall was recorded at Dedhgaun in Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East), which received 544.2 mm, followed by 500.2 mm at Panchase in Kaski and 472 mm at Atraulitaar in Tanahun. Weather authorities linked the heavy rainfall to a low-pressure area near Uttar Pradesh in northern India and moisture-laden winds from the Bay of Bengal.
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The NDRRMA sent flood-warning SMS alerts to more than 980,000 people through telecom service providers, while around 2,000 people at risk from flooding were moved to safer locations. NDRRMA spokesperson Shanti Mahat said people stranded by floods and landslides in remote districts, including Jajarkot, Myagdi and Baglung, were rescued by helicopter. Security personnel from the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and Nepali Army were deployed for search, rescue and relief operations.
In Myagdi, 78 people at risk in Pauddhar of Annapurna Rural Municipality-5 were rescued by helicopter and taken to safety on September 27, while four people stranded on an island in the Bheri River in Jajarkot were also airlifted. Heavy rainfall also triggered landslides in Chame, Manang, where debris from Ghatte Khola partially blocked the Marsyangdi River and caused the waterways to merge and form a lake. Residents in Chame and nearby areas moved to forests, caves and other safer locations as water levels rose.
Flooding and landslides also damaged roads and bridges along the Kaligandaki corridor, with sections of road cut away by swollen rivers. The NDRRMA issued alerts to officials and local bodies in affected districts, urging vigilance in downstream areas and evacuation of families living in vulnerable locations. Water levels in major rivers, including the Narayani and Gandaki, began declining gradually from September 28, with the authority saying the overall situation was moving towards normalcy. The latest disasters come as Nepal continues to recover from last month's flash floods near the Nepal-Tibet border, which caused extensive damage and heavy loss of life.
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