Desperate escape: Nepali locals leap from rooftop to rooftop as devastating floods claim 148 lives

NEPAL: Floods and landslides in Nepal have resulted in 148 deaths and more than 100 people injured.

According to a BBC report, some 50 people have remained missing after two days of heavy rain, and 3,600 people have been rescued in the valley area outside Kathmandu.

Residents were seen jumping from one roof to another to escape the rising waters, which flooded thousands of homes. The rain is expected to continue throughout Tuesday.

Even though some residents managed to return to their mud-filled homes after some time, many were still cut off as major roads to their homes and villages remained blocked.

The police also recovered 35 bodies which were buried under a landslide on Prithvi Highway, near Kathmandu. Most of the highways connecting Kathmandu with the rest of the country remained blocked due to landslides.

The state media reported that a landslide in Bhaktapur, east of Kathmandu, resulted in five deaths; one of them was a pregnant woman and another a four-year-old girl.

Meanwhile, two bodies were found buried under a bus from a landslide in Dhading, west of Kathmandu. At the All Nepal Football Association training centre in Makwanpur, six football players were killed by another landslide.

Floodwaters also swept people away.

At the Nakkhu River in southern Kathmandu Valley, four people were also washed away.

More devastating video coming out of Katmandu, Nepal where at least 129 people have died, and dozens are missing in following severe flooding and landslides caused by heavy rain over the weekend….

Follow @volcaholic1 for reliable updates. #Flooding #Landslide pic.twitter.com/rGwriYrCtb

— Volcaholic 🌋 (@volcaholic1) September 29, 2024

One eyewitness, Jitendra Bhandari, told the BBC, “For hours, they kept pleading for help. We could do nothing.”

Another victim, Hari Om Malla spoke to the BBC about his experience, saying that the water had gushed into his cabin as the rain intensified.

He lost his truck after it was completely submerged in water. “We jumped out, swam and got away from it – but my purse, bag and mobile have been swept away by the river. I have nothing now. We stayed the whole night in the cold,” he lamented.

One individual spoke about the sheer scale of the flooding; Bishnu Maya Shretha said the flood was so extreme.

“We had run away the last time, but nothing happened. But this time, all the houses were flooded. As the water levels rose, we had to cut the roof and get out. We jumped from one roof to another and finally reached a concrete house,” she said.

A representative from the government, Prithvi Subba Gurung, told the Nepal Television Corporation that the flooding had broken the water pipes and affected the telephone and power lines.

The state media said 10,000 policemen, the army and volunteers have been dispatched to help with search and rescue missions.

The Nepalese government has asked people to avoid travelling unnecessarily and banned driving at night. Many flights have also been cancelled. The monsoon season results in floods and landslides in Nepal every year.

Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)