Overview: Fatal Weather-Severity Strikes Nepal
Extreme weather battered Nepal over the weekend, causing landslides, a lightning strike, and flooding that claimed at least 22 lives and left 12 people missing, according to officials. The incidents unfolded primarily in Nepal’s eastern mountain district of Illam, with several villages reportedly swept away by landslides and homes crushed as residents slept.
Illam District: Landslides Sweep Through Communities
In Illam, authorities confirmed that at least 18 people died in multiple landslides, and seven others remained unaccounted for. A local administrator noted that six members of a single family were killed when a landslide buried their home during the night. The remote, mountainous terrain complicates rescue efforts, with rain hampering access and roads either washed away or blocked by debris.
Rescue and Weather-Driven Challenges
Ghimire, a spokesperson for Nepal Police, said emergency teams had rescued 114 people. However, the scale of the destruction has strained relief operations, and officials appealed for helicopters from the central government to facilitate medical evacuations and rapid response in hard-to-reach villages.
More Fatalities: Lightning and Flooding Across Regions
Beyond Illam, officials reported three deaths in another district due to a lightning strike. An additional death occurred in southern Nepal from flooding. The combined toll underscores the broad impact of the season’s heavy rainfall and the risks posed by saturated hillsides and swollen rivers.
Widespread Disruptions and Government Response
Authorities closed major highways and grounded domestic flights on Saturday due to poor visibility and dangerous weather, slowly reopening on Sunday. The government declared a national holiday through Monday to cope with the situation and to assist families affected by the rainfall. The closures and blockages slowed the movement of hundreds of thousands of people returning to Kathmandu after Dashain, Nepal’s largest festival, which traditionally draws families back to their home villages.
Roads, Transit, and Recovery
Several routes connecting Kathmandu to other regions were shut as landslides blocked paths and precautionary measures limited travel. Officials warned that additional rain could trigger further landslides and flash floods, particularly in eastern and central Nepal where the rainfall was most intense. Local authorities appealed for international aid and additional manpower to accelerate evacuation and relief operations.
Context: Seasonal Rainfall and Past Incidents
The weekend’s weather comes at the tail end of Nepal’s monsoon season, which typically runs from June to September. Last year, similar heavy rainfall events around this time resulted in more than 200 fatalities and hundreds more injured. The current incident highlights the persistent vulnerability of hillside communities and the importance of early warning systems, resilient infrastructure, and rapid response capabilities as climate patterns intensify.
What Comes Next
Officials emphasized the need for ongoing monitoring of rainfall forecasts and increased contingency measures to protect residents in high-risk zones. As relief operations continue, the priority remains swift medical evacuations, family reunifications, and secure shelter for those displaced by the floods and landslides.
