Tragic Rainfall: Lives Lost and Homes Inundated in Nepal

At least three people, including two workers at a hydropower project, were killed and ten others injured as heavy rains lashed Kathmandu and other parts of Nepal. The rains also caused landslides, river flooding, and numerous house inundations in different districts, prompting emergency rescue operations.

At least three individuals, including two workers involved in building a tunnel at a hydropower project in Nepal, lost their lives, and ten others were injured due to heavy rain that struck Kathmandu and other regions on Friday and Saturday, as per officials.

The incident occurred when two laborers were buried inside the tunnel of the under-construction Bhotekoshi Hydropower Project in Sindhupalchowk district, situated 125 km east of Kathmandu. Their bodies have been recovered, authorities confirmed.

Furthermore, twelve workers were buried when the dam side tunnel of the Jhirpu Electro Power Company Limited, currently under construction, collapsed following the heavy rainfall in Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality. Ten of the injured workers were rescued and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

In a separate incident, a person died when the kitchen of a restaurant was buried by a landslide triggered by continuous rains in Nagarjun Municipality of Kathmandu district on Saturday. The injured restaurant staff also succumbed to severe injuries at a local hospital.

Rising water levels in the Bagmati and Bishnumati rivers due to incessant rain for more than 24 hours have inundated dozens of houses in slum areas in Teku and Tripureshwor. Security personnel have been mobilized for rescue operations, and an alert has been issued for riverside settlements.

Additionally, an 18-year-old boy went missing after he was swept away by the Rapti River in Dang district, Western Nepal. However, security forces rescued two other men stranded on a tree near the swollen river.

A woman also went missing in Dolakha district, about 180 kilometers east of Kathmandu, after being swept away by flooding. Police have initiated riverbank patrolling as river water levels in the Kathmandu Valley rise alarmingly due to continuous rainfall.

Bagmati, Gandaki, and Lumbini provinces experienced light to moderate rain, while heavy rainfall was observed in some areas of Bagmati, Koshi, Gandaki, and Karnali provinces. The flood in the Hanumante River in Bhaktapur district has exceeded danger levels, causing it to enter local residential zones.

More than 600 houses are at risk due to the swelling river. Dinesh Raj Mainali, spokesperson at the Kathmandu Valley Police Office, stated that police have commenced patrolling to prevent any untoward incidents along the river corridors in the Valley. Police teams have been placed on the rivers' banks to monitor the situation and prevent floods and inundations in nearby settlements.

(With inputs from agencies.)