The death toll from monsoon-induced floods and landslides in Nepal has risen to 148 as search and rescue teams recovered several bodies from buses buried by landslides, officials said on Sunday.
At least 55 people remain missing. The devastating rains, which began late Thursday, have ravaged much of the country, particularly in the eastern and central regions.
According to Nepal police spokesperson Dan Bahadur Karki, 101 people have been injured across various regions since Friday.
“The search for the missing is still ongoing, while affected families are being moved to safety. It may take a couple of more days,” Karki told dpa.
Since late Saturday, search and rescue teams have recovered at least 35 bodies from buses buried by landslides on the outskirts of Kathmandu, officials said. According to Nepal police, around 3,661 people from affected areas have been moved to safety.
More than half of the fatalities occurred in the capital Kathmandu and surrounding districts, which were hit hard by flash floods and landslides.
Local media have described the rainfall in Kathmandu as the worst in decades.
The government has announced free treatment for the injured and relief packages for affected families.
The torrential rain has severely damaged infrastructure, including roads and bridges.
While domestic flights have partially resumed, many key roads connecting Kathmandu to the rest of the country remain blocked by landslides, and there have been power and internet outages in some areas.
The government has decided to close all schools across the nation for three days and suspend all ongoing examinations starting Sunday, according to a statement from the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology.
Although the weather in Kathmandu has improved, authorities have forecast further rain in isolated parts of the country until late Sunday.
Nepal’s mountainous terrain and numerous rivers make the country particularly vulnerable to natural disasters.
