Kathmandu: The death toll from flooding and other rain-triggered incidents in Nepal climbed to 50 on Saturday with over 33 persons still missing, officials said.
Heavy monsoon rains for the past few days have left many settlements at high risk of floods and landslides in several places in Nepal. Transportation has also been disrupted in all major highways.
Rain-fed rivers have also started to erode embankments putting nearby settlements at high risk of flooding.
Officials said the Kosi River in eastern Nepal, which flows into the eastern Indian state of Bihar, had risen above the danger mark.
The Kosi has been a serious concern for both India and Nepal since it broke its banks in 2008 and changed course, submerging swathes of land and affecting more than two million people in Bihar. About 500 people died in that disaster.
Thirty of the 56 sluice gates at a barrage along the Kosi at the Indo-Nepal border have been opened, and rescue teams deployed to evacuate villagers, officials said
"The rain-triggered disasters have caused havoc across the country," the Nepal Police said in its news bulletin.
Deaths were reported from various districts, including Lalitpur, Kavre, Kotang, Bhojpur and Makanpur.
The death toll has reached 34, authorities said.
Meanwhile, human resources and equipment from police offices have been mobilised in the areas affected by the rain-triggered disasters.
"The works related to rescue operation have been intensified," a senior Home Ministry official said.
It is estimated that around 6,000 people have been badly affected by floodwaters that inundated their houses.
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