At Least 19 Dead, Eight Missing in Monsoon-induced Disasters: NDRRMA

At least 19 people have been killed, eight reported missing, and 11 injured in monsoon-induced disasters since Friday, October 3, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA).

The latest update, issued by noon on Sunday, October 5, shows that 14 people lost their lives in landslides in Ilam district, three were struck by lightning in Rautahat, and one each drowned in Khotang and Udayapur.

Among the missing, four individuals were buried in landslides in Ilam, while another four were swept away by a river in Rasuwa.

The NDRRMA reported that four people were injured in landslides in Ilam, three each in Bhojpur and Khotang and one in Makwanpur due to lightning strikes.

Most districts in central and eastern Nepal experienced heavy to very heavy rainfall from Friday evening, October 3, until late Saturday night, triggering landslides and floods that inundated several settlements and disrupted transport networks.

Although rainfall subsided early Sunday in western part of Madhes Province and the Kathmandu Valley, meteorologists have forecast light to moderate rain in these areas and heavy to very heavy rainfall in eastern Nepal.

The government has declared public holidays for Sunday and Monday, October 5 and 6, in response to the weather forecast and the growing risks of monsoon disasters.