At least 100 people died and dozens are missing after several days of heavy rain
Massive floods and landslides in Nepal have killed at least 100 people across the Himalayan nation, officials said.
Dozens more people remained missing on Sunday after two days of heavy rain, flooding valleys around the capital Kathmandu.
Many people were trapped on the roof while rescue workers were on rafts. Thousands of riverside houses were also flooded and many highways were blocked.
Although rain is forecast to continue through Tuesday, there were signs of easing on Sunday.
According to a government spokesman, more than 3,000 people have been rescued so far.
But flash floods, along with landslides, killed many people.
State media reported that five people, including a pregnant woman and a 4-year-old girl, were killed when a house collapsed due to a landslide in Bhaktapur city, east of the capital Kathmandu.
Two bodies are removed from a bus buried by a landslide in Dhading, west of Kathmandu. Twelve people, including the driver, are believed to have been on the plane.
Six football players were also killed by landslides at a training center run by the All Nepal Football Association in Makwanpur, southwest of the capital.
Others were swept away by floodwaters. In a dramatic scene, four people were swept away by the Nakkhu River in the southern Kathmandu valley.
“For hours, they kept begging for help,” Jitendra Bhandari, a witness, told the BBC. “There’s nothing we can do.”
Hari Om Malla lost his truck after it was submerged in water in Kathmandu.
He told the BBC that water had “flooded” into the cabin as rain intensified on Friday night.
“We jumped out, swam and escaped it – but my wallet, handbag and mobile phone were swept away by the river. Now I have nothing left. We spent the whole night in the cold.”
Government spokesman Prithvi Subba Gurung told the state-run Nepal Television Corporation that the floods had also burst water pipes, affecting power and telephone lines.
According to state media, 10,000 police, as well as volunteers and military members, have been mobilized to join the search and rescue effort.
The Nepal government urged people to avoid unnecessary travel and banned driving at night in the Kathmandu valley.
Most highways – including those connecting the Kathmandu valley with the rest of the country – remain blocked in some places.
Air travel was also affected on Friday and Saturday, with many domestic flights delayed or canceled.
The monsoon season brings floods and landslides every year in Nepal.
However, scientists say rainfall is becoming more intense due to climate change.
Warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, while warmer ocean water can fuel storm systems, making them more erratic.
