Floods and landslides triggered by torrential monsoon rains have killed at least 40 people across South Asia in the last two days, officials said Saturday. The monsoon, which lasts from June to September, causes widespread death and destruction across South Asia each year.
In Nepal, 27 people have died in floods and landslides after heavy rains hit the country's eastern region and the southern plains. Bishwaraj Pokharel, spokesperson for Nepal Police, added that another 11 people were injured and 15 others reported missing.
Three of the victims were killed when a wall collapsed in the capital Kathmandu. "Our first priority is life saving rescue and all our resources have been deployed," Home Ministry official Umakanta Adhikari told AFP. In neighbouring India 11 deaths have been recorded in the northeastern states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, officials said Friday. In Bangladesh aid groups were providing rations to Rohingya refugees in the southeast of the country with the UN World Food Programme saying Friday that two people including a child had died.