Kathmandu - At least 14 people were killed and dozens more
missing after torrential monsoon rains in western Nepal triggered
flash floods and landslides, official media reports said.
The government-owned Rising Nepal newspaper said most of the
deaths were reported from four districts - Kailali, Kanchanpur, Doti
and Gulmi.
In Doti district, about 450 kilometres west of the Nepalese
capital Kathmandu, five people included a 7-month-old infant were
killed when their house was struck by landslide. .
More than 30 people were reported missing in the four districts
while over 20,000 people were displaced from their home.
The entire Kailali district was under water and over 350 houses
were swept away by floods, the newspaper quoted government officials
in the district as saying.
The floods had also damaged road and telecommunication links
hampering rescue efforts and determining the extent of damage, the
newspaper said.
The floods inundated dozens of villages in western Nepal and many
people were awaiting rescue by climbing onto tree tops, the newspaper
said.
Rescue officials said the actual toll could be much higher and the
full extent of the damage can only be ascertained after the rains
stopped and water levels receded.
The flooding and landslides were caused by torrential monsoon
rains which began from Friday evening.
The country's meteorological department in its report said some
areas in western Nepal had received as much as 345 millimetres of
rain in just 24-hour period.
The department said it expected the rains to continue till Sunday
night.
Although monsoon has been relatively weak this year, at least 70
people have died in flooding and landslides across the Himalayan
nation since June.
Nepal receives nearly 80 per cent of its total annual rainfall
during four months long monsoon season that last from June to late
September.
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