Nepal Flood Rescue Efforts Intensified Amid Rising Death Toll

The death toll from recent floods in Nepal has escalated to 193. Authorities are ramping up rescue operations with 4,500 people already saved. Emergency relief is being provided, and efforts to rebuild damaged homes are underway. The flooding has resulted in a humanitarian crisis affecting millions.

The death toll in Nepal's recent flood disaster has risen to 193, according to the Home Ministry. Since the onset of the disaster on Saturday, rescue efforts have been intensified, with 4,500 people rescued so far. Spokesperson Rishi Ram Tiwari reported that 31 people are still missing.

Tiwari also informed that food and emergency relief have been distributed, while the injured are receiving free medical treatment. A meeting of the Disaster Risk Management Authority on Monday decided to speed up rescue operations for those stranded and displaced by the floods and landslides.

The meeting resolved to disburse the first tranche of grants for reconstructing homes damaged by the disaster, targeting completion within a week. The calamity, influenced by water vapor from the Bay of Bengal and a low-pressure system, has created a national humanitarian crisis.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Authority (NDRRMA) had issued warnings for 56 out of 77 districts, advising caution. Nepal, home to nine of the world's ten highest peaks, was already bracing for above-average rainfall, affecting an estimated 1.8 million people and 412,000 households.

The monsoon season, which usually starts on June 13 and ends on September 23, has been extended to late October this year. By June 10, clouds entered Nepal from the western region, three days before the usual onset. The extended monsoon has already delivered above-average rainfall this year, with 1,586.3 millimeters recorded as of Friday, exceeding the norm by 7.2 percent.

(With inputs from agencies.)