HEAVY rain and storms have killed at least 56 people in India and 14 in Nepal, triggering floods and landslides that have affected thousands of people, damaged homes and disrupted power and telecommunications.
In Nepal, authorities warned of possible flash floods in 49 of the country’s 77 districts, with more than half facing high flood or flash-flood risks as water levels in major rivers and tributaries continued to rise.
International news agencies cited Shanti Mahat, a spokesperson for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, saying Rasuwa and Nuwakot, which were hit by last month’s deadly floods that killed more than 1,450 people and left thousands still missing, should remain “alert” but were not currently considered high-risk areas.
Power supplies have been completely disrupted in the Manang, Mustang, Myagdi and Baglung districts, with authorities working to restore electricity, Energy Ministry officials said.
Flooding of the Rahuganga River damaged the structure and transmission-line towers of a 40-megawatt hydropower project, Water Resources and Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha said.
Floods and landslides also disrupted telecommunications in parts of Nepal after optical fibres and power supplies were damaged, Communications Minister Bikram Timilsinha said.
In India, the northern state of Uttar Pradesh recorded 66.5mm of rain between Sept 25 and the morning of Sept 27, compared with the normal 7.6mm for the period, state relief commissioner Hrishikesh Bhaskar Yashod said yesterday.
The 56 deaths in Uttar Pradesh were accompanied by 46 injuries and damage to more than 1,000 houses.
Authorities were carrying out rescue operations in waterlogged areas and distributing relief, while officials were ordered to assess crop damage and provide compensation.
India’s Central Water Commission said 30 river-monitoring stations across seven states indicated a “severe situation”.
Several major rivers, including the Ganga, Gandak, Kosi, Bagmati and Narmada, were above danger levels.
In a separate incident in Nepal, 10 local workers were reported missing after an avalanche buried the base camp of the 7,126-metre (23,379-foot) Himlung Himal in the northern Manang district, hiking officials said.
The workers had been setting up tents for foreign climbers, who were not present when the avalanche struck. - September 28, 2026
