Over 90 people have been killed and thousands displaced as unseasonal heavy rain in northern India and Nepal caused floods and landslides, affecting several districts and key roads, highways, and damaging homes and bridges, media reports showed. 

Uttarakhand, a Himalayan state in India, suffered huge damage, where as many as 46 people died --28 alone in Nainital, a famous tourist district. Floods not only ravaged villages but also destroyed many homes in towns, cities.

Personnel of the National Disaster Management Force (NDRF) in India rescued over 1300 people in the states of Uttarakhand and neighboring Uttar Pradesh, where four were reportedly killed. Authorities asked people and tourists to stay wherever there were and advised them not to resume their travel until the weather improved. 

Rains and floods damaged several roads; landslides blocked highways and destroyed bridges. Pushkar Dhami, the chief minister of Uttarakhand, said the state suffered huge damage and recovery will take considerable time. 

In Nepal, at least eleven districts out of 77 suffered huge damage, with reports suggesting as many as 50 people have died so far in the incidents of floods and landslides. Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba held an emergency cabinet meeting and reviewed the situation on Wednesday.

Most casualties in Nepal are dues to landslides. Many people were reportedly buried alive in their homes while they were in sleep on Monday night. Province 1 in the East remained worst affected as several districts and towns remained cut off. Some districts in the country’s western and northern parts also reported damage. 

Heavy rains also damaged vast areas with paddy crop, which accounts for almost 7 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), was damaged in several districts. 

Paddy farmers in Bhutan also suffered losses. 

 (SAM)