Nepal: Death Toll Reaches 170 As Torrential Rains, Landslides Batter Himalayan Nation; Rescue Ops On

The death toll from rain-induced floodings and landslides across Nepal reached 170 on Sunday, according to a statement by the country's Home Ministry. The search and rescue operations are still underway as 42 others are missing. Torrential rains have thrown life out of gear in Nepal, leaving hundreds of families displaced and houses, roads, and bridges buried under debris.A 6.8-kilometre road portion on the Tribhuvan highway has been blocked due to a landslide that has buried multiple vehicles. The rescue forces are now pulling out bodies of those trapped under the debris, news agency ANI reported.Gautam KC, Chief of the Dhading District Police told ANI that four buses are suspected to be buried in the debris, three of which are visible. The other bus is being excavated. The bodies recovered from the site are being transported to Kathmandu for autopsy before handover to the families. Police officer KC said that a joint team from Kathmandu and Dhading police is involved in the search and excavation of the bodies from the debris."All the security agencies--the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force, Nepal Police are working together. We retrieved 14 dead bodies yesterday (September 28) and till afternoon today (September 29), we have retrieved 13 more bodies; we are still continuing the search operation and we are working on it in coordination with the authorities and families of those riding on the buses from various districts by establishing a desk here at the site. Families and relatives who are arriving are taking part in the identification process," police official KC told ANI.The team had pulled out a total of 35 bodies till Sunday evening. However, there are more people trapped beneath the mud, for which the search operation is underway. According to the police official, a team of more than one hundred security personnel are engaged in the operation.Around 55 people are missing in floods, landslides, and inundation, while 101 people have been injured. National highways have been blocked since Saturday and at least 322 houses and 16 bridges have been damaged. Hundreds of people are stranded on various highways due to landslides, news agency PTI reported, citing Armed Police Force sources. Over 20,000 security personnel have been mobilised to rescue people and nearly 3,626 people have already been moved to safety. At least 19 people were killed on Saturday, September 28, when another bus was buried in a landslide in Dhading district bordering the capital Kathmandu. Besides this, five people died when a house collapsed as landslide hit Bhaktapur city.In another landslide incident, six football players were killed at a training centre operated by the All Nepal Football Association in Makwanpur.Bagmati, Kathmandu's main river, was flowing above danger levels after incessant rain battered eastern and central Nepal on Friday and Saturday, a report published by ICIMOD noted.