At least 32 people have been killed and 12 others reported missing, according to officials, as incessant rains in Nepal have unleashed floods and landslides during the last 24 hours.
More than 3,000 security personnel were deployed to assist rescue efforts with helicopters and motorboats on Saturday, as parts of the country, including the capital Kathmandu, have been inundated.
Authorities are also warning of more possible flash floods in multiple rivers.
Monsoon rains from June to September bring widespread death and destruction every year in the Himalayan nation and across South Asia, but the number of fatal floods and landslides has risen in recent years.
Since Friday evening, all domestic flights out of Kathmandu have been canceled, affecting more than 150 departures. International flights are still in operation, Rinji Sherpa, a spokesperson for Kathmandu airport, said.
In the southeast, the Koshi River, which causes deadly floods in India’s eastern neighboring state of Bihar almost every year, was running above the danger level, one official said.
The river level was still rising, according to Ram Chandra Tiwari, the area’s top bureaucrat.
Experts say climate change has worsened the frequency and intensity of the rain in Nepal.
This year, more than 170 people have been killed in rain-related disasters.
