Nepal flood toll rises to 15, tens of thousands displaced

Jul 28, 2007, 3:51 GMT

Kathmandu - The death toll from flooding brought on by a week of heavy monsoon rains has risen to at least 15 and displaced more than 75,000 people across Nepal, the government said Saturday.

At least 10 more people died in floods and landslide-related incidents on Friday after more districts were hit by unusually heavy rains.

The worsening flood situation prompted the government to mobilize security forces to rescue thousands of people stranded by the floods and distribute relief materials to more than half a million people who were now living in flood affected areas.

Authorities said five members of the same family died in Salyan district, about 320 kilometres west of the Nepalese capital Kathmandu on Friday, after they were swept away by a landslide. Five more people died in eastern part of the country.

Local media reports said much of the country's southern plains known as Terai were now submerged in up to three feet of water. The situation remained grim for most areas as heavy rainfall continued.

Banke and Bardiya districts in west Nepal were the worst affected with much of the region underwater.

The main regional town of Nepalgunj, about 400 kilometres west of Kathmandu and with a population of 50,000, remained without power for a third day Saturday.

Local radio stations stopped broadcasting and newspapers suspended their publications in the town.

The local administration for the two districts said rescue efforts were being hampered by continuing heavy rains and lack of helicopters to reach the affected areas.

More than 12,500 people in the two districts were now sheltering in schools and other government facilities to escape the rising flood waters.

The situation in much of the country deteriorated Saturday after more heavy rains fell and the country's meteorological department warned that the downpour was expected to continue for at least 'three or four more days.'

The home ministry has offered compensation to the victims of flooding and landslides. The ministry also said the total number of people killed in landslides and flooding across Nepal since June was now more than 50.