Nepal officials said that over 3,000 security personnel are deployed to help rescue people assisted by helicopters and motorboats. Incessant rains have unleashed floods and landslides in the country during the last 24 hours.
At least 38 people have been killed, while 29 others have gone missing, officials say.
Over 3,000 security personnel were mobilized on Saturday to assist helicopters and motorboats in rescue work as parts of the country, including the capital, Kathmandu, were inundated. The authorities are also warning of more possible flash floods in multiple rivers.
Monsoon rains between June and September have been responsible for widespread death and destruction in the Himalayan nation and all over South Asia every year. Nevertheless, there has been a rise in fatal flooding and landslides recently.
“Police are working with other agencies and locals to rescue and find the missing people,” Basanta Adhikari, spokesman for Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, told the AFP news agency.
A truck driver who witnessed the flooding reported that the water level had already reached his shoulder level when he stepped out of his house in the dead of night.
As aftershocks from Saturday’s powerful earthquake might cause mudslides or further flooding, all domestic flights out of Kathmandu have been canceled since Friday evening. This is affecting more than 150 departures, said Reuters. However, international flights are still functioning.
