Floods and landslides kill at least 56 people in India, 12 in Nepal

Authorities in India and Nepal reported rising death tolls after a period of exceptionally heavy monsoon rainfall triggered floods and landslides across parts of the two neighbouring countries. In Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous state, officials said at least 56 people died and 46 were injured after 66.5 mm (2.6 inches) of rain fell between Friday and Sunday morning, far above the roughly 7.6 mm normally expected for that interval. More than 1,000 houses were reported damaged as a depression over the Bay of Bengal moved inland and intensified rainfall.

State and national agencies warned that river levels were above danger marks in many areas. India’s Central Water Commission said 30 river-monitoring stations across seven states were in a “severe situation,” and major rivers including the Ganga, Gandak, Kosi, Bagmati and Narmada had risen past danger levels. In Odisha, officials evacuated over 70,000 residents from low-lying districts after rising rivers damaged bridges and culverts and forced the closure of the Devkund tourist site.

In Nepal, officials reported at least 12 deaths and several people missing in a new wave of flooding and landslides since Thursday, on top of a devastating late-August flood that killed more than 1,400 people and left thousands missing. Authorities cautioned that 49 of the country’s 77 districts faced potential flash-flood threats, with more than half of districts assessed as at high risk of flooding or flash floods as river levels continued to climb.

Flooding has also disrupted services and damaged infrastructure. Power supplies were interrupted in the Manang, Mustang, Myagdi and Baglung districts of Nepal as crews worked on restoration, and flooding of the Rahuganga River damaged structures and transmission-line towers at a 40-megawatt hydropower project, the country’s water resources minister said. Nepal’s disaster management spokesperson noted that some districts hit in the previous month’s deadly floods, such as Rasuwa and Nuwakot, should remain alert even if they were not currently classified as high risk.

Officials in both countries continue to monitor river levels and issue local warnings as rescue and relief operations proceed. The scale of evacuations, infrastructure damage and the number of monitoring stations in a severe state highlight the ongoing threat posed by monsoon rains across large, densely populated parts of India and Nepal.