At least 14 people have died in Nepal’s eastern Ilam district after landslides, triggered by continuous rainfall since Friday, buried several homes, local authorities confirmed on Sunday.
The region, which borders India’s Darjeeling district, has been one of the worst affected by the recent spell of heavy rain, which has caused flooding, landslides, and widespread disruption across multiple parts of the country.
Sunita Nepal, Chief District Officer of Ilam, told IANS, “At least 14 people have been confirmed dead in landslides that buried three houses on Saturday night. As more houses have been damaged in the district, the death toll might rise.”
She added that the District Administration Office (DAO) has requested detailed reports from local governments regarding damage caused by the landslides and floods. Continuous rainfall over the past three days has led to both human casualties and significant damage to infrastructure, including roads, according to the DAO.
The Mechi Highway, which links Ilam with the southern Jhapa district, has been blocked at several locations due to landslides, further complicating relief efforts.
Although the country has been experiencing severe downpours since Friday, the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology reported a slight improvement in conditions by Sunday morning. In a notice, the department stated that rainfall had reduced across most districts, with the highest recorded in parts of Lalitpur in the Kathmandu Valley.
“Light rain is occurring in some areas of Kathmandu, Morang, Sunsari, Udayapur, Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha, Sarlahi, Sindhuli, and Ramechhap districts,” the department said.
However, it warned of the likelihood of heavy rainfall in the hilly areas of eastern Koshi Province by Sunday afternoon and night.
Despite the slight improvement in weather, multiple highways across Nepal have sustained damage from landslides, severely hampering transportation. The government has extended a ban on vehicle movement in and out of the Kathmandu Valley as a precautionary measure.
The Metropolitan Traffic Police Division announced that several major roads, including the Prithvi Highway (linking Kathmandu with western Nepal), the BP Highway (connecting the capital to the southeast), and the Araniko Highway (which leads to the Chinese border), remain fully obstructed.
Other highways, Pasang Lhamu, Koshi, and Siddhicharan, are also completely blocked, the division stated.
Long-distance travel from five provinces, Koshi, Madhesh, Bagmati, Gandaki, and Lumbini, has been suspended due to the heightened risk of landslides and flooding.
In a video address on Saturday evening, interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki urged the public to remain indoors and avoid unnecessary travel. “The government will mobilise all available resources to ensure the safety of citizens during the ongoing natural disaster,” she said.
(With inputs from IANS)