The death toll from monsoon-induced floods and landslides in Nepal has risen to 193. At least 31 people are still missing and many others are injured, police said on Monday.
The heavy rains, described by local media as the worst in decades, mainly hit the eastern and central regions of the country.
Nepal police spokesman Dan Bahadur Karki said search and rescue operations could continue for the next few days as urgent requests for help come in from isolated areas cut off from communications.
“We are finally receiving requests from regions that were previously inaccessible,” Karki told dpa, adding that 96 people are currently being treated for serious injuries.
“Our teams have reached the most affected areas and brought vulnerable families to safety, but we are still working to locate those missing.”
More than 100 bodies have been recovered from landslide debris in the past 24 hours, including from buried passenger vehicles.
Nearly half of the fatalities occurred in the Kathmandu Valley, which covers three districts including the capital.
About 4,000 people from affected areas have been brought to safety.
Although domestic flights have partially resumed, many major roads connecting Kathmandu to other regions remain blocked by landslides.
“Some major roads connecting Kathmandu have been cleared of debris while work is being carried out to clear other roads,” Karki said.
There have been power and internet outages in many areas and many schools are still closed.
Rain has stopped in most parts of the country and the weather is expected to improve in the coming days.
Nepal’s mountainous terrain and numerous rivers make it particularly vulnerable to natural disasters.
