59 Killed, 36 Injured In Floods, Landslides In Nepal

Kathmandu, Sep 28: Floods and landslides triggered by incessant rainfall in Nepal have claimed at least 59 lives and injured 36 others by Saturday afternoon, local police said.

A total of 44 others had gone missing in the disasters sparked by rainfalls since Friday evening, and the police had rescued 1,252 people from different parts of Nepal, said Dan Bahadur Karki, Nepali Police spokesperson.

"Of the total casualties, 34 deaths were from the three districts in the Kathmandu Valley," Karki told Xinhua news agency.

"At least 17 people were missing while 16 others were injured in the valley."

According to a police statement, almost all the highways, including those connecting the rest of the country with the capital city of Kathmandu, have been obstructed due to the disasters.

The Nepali government has announced that over 20,000 police officers have been mobilised for the rescue operations.

Nepal has seen more-than-average rainfalls during the monsoon season this year, which started on June 10 and is coming to an end.

--IANS