Eric Chaney
Published: July 27,2016
More than four dozen people have died in Nepal after monsoon rains triggered flooding and landslides over the last two days.
At
least 54 deaths have been reported and 20 more are missing, according
to the Associated Press, quoting Nepalese Home Ministry spokesman Yadav
Prasad Koirala. However, the Himalayan Times reports the death toll at more than 70 since Monday.
Koirala
told the Associated Press that the government has launched rescue and
relief operations in 14 of Nepal's 75 districts that have been affected
by the floods.
"Our teams are working continuously in search and rescue operations, as well as to provide relief," deputy spokesman Jhanka Nath Dhakal told the French Press Agency.
Hundreds
of people have been displaced after swollen rivers breached their banks
and flooded homes. Soldiers and volunteers used rubber boats to rescue
people marooned by the flooding, while helicopters were being used to
drop food supplies.
(MORE: Climbers Return to Everest Despite Natural Disasters)
A
suspension bridge that crossed part of the Tinau River in the city of
Butwal collapsed as the rushing river undermined its foundation on the
bank.
The flood swept away the bridge when a police team was
heading toward the settlement to rescue people on the bank of the river,
the Butwal District Police Office told the Himalayan Times. The DPO
also said the sudden rise in the water level has put more than 6,000
people at risk who live near the river.
Koirala said that the
situation was serious in eight districts of Nepal and that road links to
some areas were cut by the flooding.
Water levels in some of the
major rivers were close to dangerous levels, posing a threat of massive
flooding and causing panic among the local population.
Tens of thousands of Nepalese are still living in tents following a set of devastating earthquakes that hit the Himalayan country last year.
MORE: Dramatic Images from Last Year's Nepal Earthquake
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