Over 4,000 people rescued in floods that killed 224: Nepal PM

Kathmandu: Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli said on Tuesday that more than 4,000 people were rescued while 24 were missing in the rain-induced floods and landslides that have claimed 224 lives so far.

In a press conference at Singha Durbar, Oli said that the government operated at its full capacity during the natural disaster.

He said that the authorities have rescued 4,331 people across the country from the flooding disaster.

According to an official statement by Chief Secretary Eaknarayan Aryal on Tuesday, at least 224 people lost their lives, 24 were missing and 158 injured. Nearly 900 people, including foreign trekkers, have been rescued by helicopters from different flood-hit areas in the last two days, Home Ministry spokesperson Rishiram Tiwari said, The Kathmandu Post newspaper reported.

The spokesperson said that Nepal Army choppers rescued 683 people—425 people on Sunday and 258 on Monday. “The rescue is ongoing,” he said.

“Apart from disaster response conducted by the Nepal Army, private choppers have also been rescuing stranded foreigners, particularly in the mountain region,” he added.

The exact number of rescues conducted by private choppers is unknown, but

operators said roughly 200 foreign trekkers and a few Nepalis have been evacuated in the last two days.

The disaster, which began on Thursday, continued to cause widespread destruction

in multiple provinces until Sunday, leaving thousands displaced. Large swathes of eastern and central Nepal have been inundated since Friday.

However, the weather improved from Sunday in Kathmandu providing some relief to the disaster-affected people.

Incessant rain from Thursday to Saturday created havoc across Nepal. The Kathmandu Valley suffered the most where the death toll crossed 50.