KATHMANDU – Rescuers on Tuesday searched for people still missing and tried to recover bodies of those killed in weekend flooding and landslides in Nepal that killed more than 200 people.
Weather continued to improve, and workers were clearing the highways that were blocked by landslides. Sections of several highways next to raging rivers were washed away, however, and those repairs will likely take longer.
The disaster came just ahead of the country’s biggest festival Dasain, which begins on Thursday when people return home to celebrate with their families. The damage to roads is likely to hamper festival travel plans for many.
Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli told reporters Tuesday the government would continue working to find the missing people and help the thousands who have been impacted by the flooding and landslide. Oli’s administration has been criticized for its slow response to the crisis.
“We were prepared for a disaster but we could not predict it would be of this big scale,” Oli said.
Several vehicles stranded hours on a highway just 16 kilometers (10 miles) from Kathmandu were hit by a landslide, killing three dozen people. It took hours for help to reach them and more time for equipment to dig out the bodies.
The government’s chief secretary Eak Narayan Aryal said the death toll reached 224 on Tuesday, while 158 people were injured. There were still 24 people missing and search efforts were continuing for them.
Aryal said 16 hydroelectricity power plants were damaged by flooding, which lowered electricity production in Nepal, while 18 other projects under construction were also damaged.
Of the 37 highways damaged, only nine have so far reopened for traffic.
Police and soldiers were assisting with rescue efforts, while heavy equipment was used to clear the landslides from the roads. Schools and colleges were closed until Tuesday to help clean up the premises and students to be able to recover.
The days of heavy rain came toward the end of Nepal’s monsoon season, which began in June and usually ends by mid-September.
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