Kathmandu, Nepal – A devastating wave of torrential monsoon rain has unleashed catastrophic landslides and flash floods across Nepal and neighboring parts of India, claiming the lives of at least 47 people since Friday, officials reported on Sunday. The relentless downpour has swept away bridges, submerged homes, and severed critical roadways, leaving a trail of destruction and stranding hundreds in the mountainous region.
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| Members of Nepal Army help people retrieve their belongings to a safe area at a flooded street along the bank of overflowing Bagmati River following heavy rains, in Kathmandu, Nepal, October 4, 2025. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar |
The epicenter of the tragedy in Nepal is the eastern district of Ilam, a region bordering India, where officials have confirmed a staggering loss of life. "Thirty-five people have been killed in separate landslide incidents in Ilam district alone," stated Kalidas Dhauboji, a spokesperson for the Armed Police Force. The disaster's reach extends further, with authorities reporting that nine other individuals are missing after being swept away by raging floodwaters, while three more tragically died in lightning strikes in other parts of the country.
Rescue operations are in a desperate race against time. "Rescue efforts for the missing are underway," confirmed Shanti Mahat, a spokesperson for Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, as emergency crews battle treacherous conditions to reach the affected areas.
The destructive force of the weather system did not stop at the border. Across in the Darjeeling hills of West Bengal, eastern India, the same weather system triggered deadly landslides that have killed at least seven people. "Seven bodies have been recovered from the debris. We have information about two more people. A search for their bodies is also on," Abhishek Roy, a Darjeeling district police official, stated on Sunday, as reported by Indian news agency ANI on the social media platform X.
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| A snowcapped mountain range emerges over the valley as monsoon clouds clear following heavy rainfall in Kathmandu, Nepal, October 5, 2025. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar |
The deluge has brought the region's infrastructure to a standstill. Major highways have been rendered impassable by landslides and collapsed sections, trapping hundreds of travelers. While international flights from Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport, the country's main aviation hub, are continuing, "domestic flights have been largely disrupted," according to airport spokesperson Rinji Sherpa.
In southeastern Nepal, the powerful Koshi River, which frequently causes deadly flooding in the neighboring Indian state of Bihar, is now flowing above the danger level. In an urgent measure to release the immense pressure, all 56 floodgates of the Koshi barrage have been opened—a dramatic increase from the usual 10 to 12. "We have banned the movement of vehicles on the bridge," said Dharmendra Kumar Mishra, the chief district officer of Sunsari, highlighting the imminent danger.
Even the nation's capital, Kathmandu, a valley ringed by hills, has not been spared. Swollen rivers have inundated roads and submerged houses, effectively cutting off the ancient city from the rest of the country by land.
Such disasters are a tragically familiar occurrence in the predominantly mountainous terrain of Nepal. The annual monsoon season, which typically runs from mid-June to mid-September, regularly brings landslides and flash floods that claim hundreds of lives each year.
With weather officials forecasting that the heavy rains will likely persist until Monday, the nation remains on high alert. The government has stated it is taking "maximum precaution and care" to aid those affected, but for a region already devastated, the immediate future remains fraught with peril.
