Over the past few days, torrential rains in Nepal have led to deadly landslides, lightning strikes and flooding. Sadly, over 44 people perished in this catastrophe. Heavy rains and unusual, intense climatic conditions severely affected the eastern mountain district of Illam. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority confirmed at least 37 fatalities, with dozens injured and more missing. This earth-shattering disaster exemplifies the extreme hardship that Nepal faces every monsoon season. The monsoon runs from June until about the middle of September.
In Illam, Bholanath Guragai, the assistant administrative officer, related a tragic story. To make matters worse, a landslide destroyed their Linville home, killing six members of their extended family. The devastation from the rainfall has left five people missing across the impacted areas. One other death was reported in the nearby Ngorongoro district, also the result of a separate landslide.
In preparation, authorities closed all major highways leading to the capital city of Kathmandu and other parts of the country. The government of Nepal had issued warnings of heavy rainfall across eastern and central Nepal Saturday through Monday. Intense rainfall and severely reduced visibility led to the suspension of all domestic flights on Saturday. Fortunately, operations returned to normal on Sunday.
The storm’s rains took lives instantly. The immediate cause of loss of life from the storm was flooding. It set off recollections of last year’s catastrophic flooding and landslides, which caused 224 deaths and 158 injuries in the same time frame.
In a gesture of mourning over the tragedy, the government of Nepal declared a national holiday until this coming Monday. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended condolences and offered assistance to Nepal in light of the devastation caused by heavy rains.
“We stand with the people and Government of Nepal in this difficult time. As a friendly neighbor and first responder, India remains committed to providing any assistance that may be required.” – Narendra Modi
In a third district, lightning directly struck and killed three people. At the same time, in southern Nepal, three additional deaths were reported from flash flooding. The unprecedented scope of these natural disasters only emphasizes the critical need for better disaster management approaches throughout the region.
