Toll rises to 78 in Nepal floods, landslides

The death toll in floods and landslides triggered by incessant rain since last week in the Himalayan region has mounted to 78, with 32 people still missing, Nepal Home Ministry confirmed on Tuesday.

Torrential downpour since Thursday has affected nearly 31 districts across Nepal, injuring a total number of 40 people.

Nepal Police and the Army have so far rescued 3366 people from all the flood-affected districts of the country.

As many as 33,000 people in the Southern Plains have been affected due to the calamity in the last three days, according to official figures released by the Home Ministry on Monday.

The monsoon in Nepal, which had been in full swing since Friday, showed signs of normalcy in hilly regions on Sunday as the monsoon trough is presently based in the Terai territory and will be moving back towards the south on Monday (July 15).

Provinces 1, 2 and 3 are the worst hit, with Lalitpur, Bhojpur and Rautahat witnessing the highest death toll.

All provincial governments have further decided to provide relief for flood and landslide victims. They will also provide free medical treatment to the 38 people who have been injured so far, The Himalayan Times reported.