Floods and landslides kill 56 in India and 14 in Nepal

New Delhi, India. Heavy rain and storms have triggered floods and landslides that killed 56 people in India. In Nepal, 14 people have died and 11 are missing, while authorities warned on Sunday that more flash floods are possible.

Heavy rain in India

India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh recorded 66.5 mm of rain between September 25 and the morning of September 27, compared with a normal 7.6 mm for the period, state relief commissioner Hrishikesh Bhaskar Yashod said on Sunday.

In addition to the 56 deaths, 46 people have been injured and more than 1,000 houses damaged. Authorities are conducting rescues in waterlogged areas and distributing relief. Officials have also been told to assess crop damage and provide compensation.

The Central Water Commission said 30 river-monitoring stations across seven Indian states indicated a “severe situation”. Several major rivers, including the Ganga, Gandak, Kosi, Bagmati and Narmada, were above danger levels.

Flood risk and power outages in Nepal

Nepali authorities warned of possible flash floods in 49 of the country’s 77 districts. More than half the districts faced high flood or flash-flood risks as water levels in major rivers and tributaries continued to rise.

Shanti Mahat, a spokesperson for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, said Rasuwa and Nuwakot should remain “alert” but were not currently considered high-risk areas. The areas were hit by floods last month that killed more than 1,450 people and left thousands still missing.

Power supply has been completely disrupted in the Manang, Mustang, Myagdi and Baglung districts, and authorities are working to restore it, energy ministry officials said. Flooding of the Rahuganga River damaged the structure and transmission-line towers of a 40-megawatt hydropower project, Water Resources and Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha said.