Heavy rain kills 68 in India and Nepal as flood risks spread
Officials report at least 56 deaths in Uttar Pradesh and 12 in Nepal, with river levels rising and large-scale evacuations in Odisha.
Floods and landslides triggered by heavy rain have killed at least 56 people in India’s Uttar Pradesh state and 12 in neighbouring Nepal, according to officials cited by Al Jazeera. Several people are missing in Nepal, and the reported tolls may change.
Uttar Pradesh recorded 66.5mm of rain from Friday to Sunday morning, against a usual 7.6mm for that period, the state’s relief commissioner said. Officials also reported 46 injuries and damage to more than 1,000 houses.
In Odisha, more than 70,000 people in low-lying areas were evacuated as rivers rose, NDTV reported. India’s Central Water Commission said 30 river-monitoring stations across seven states were in a “severe situation”; several major rivers had risen above danger levels.
Nepalese officials said 12 people had died since Thursday and warned of possible flash floods in 49 districts as river levels continued to rise. Flooding damaged infrastructure at a 40-megawatt hydropower project on the Rahuganga River, while power supplies were disrupted in four districts.
The latest flooding follows a major disaster in Nepal in late August that killed more than 1,400 people, according to the report.
