KATHMANDU – Days of intense monsoon rain have battered eastern Nepal and parts of India, setting off landslides and flash floods that have killed at least 63 people since Friday, according to officials. Rescue teams are pushing through dangerous terrain and steady rain to reach cut-off mountain settlements, with many still missing in remote areas.
The heaviest damage is in Nepal’s eastern hills, where rain far above seasonal levels has overwhelmed local services. Nepal has confirmed at least 51 deaths. Ilam district, which borders India, has suffered the worst losses.
Multiple landslides buried homes and tore up roads, leaving 37 dead there alone, said Kalidas Dhaubaji of Nepal’s Armed Police Force. He said crews have recovered victims from deep mud and wreckage, and that many sites remain out of reach.
Across the border in West Bengal, Darjeeling has seen homes flattened and key routes blocked by landslides, with at least seven deaths reported. More casualties have been recorded in Bihar, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh, where valleys flooded in minutes and lightning added to the toll.
The regional count has now passed 60. In Bihar, at least 10 people died in floods or lightning strikes as the swollen Koshi River, known as the Sorrow of Bihar, surged into low-lying farmland and towns.
An Unseasonal Monsoon Blast
The monsoon usually tapers off by mid-September. This year, a rare low-pressure system kept the rain going into October, dumping up to 300 millimetres in 48 hours across the eastern Himalayas.
Weather officials link the event to shifting climate patterns that can intensify bursts of rain in fragile mountain zones. A meteorologist at Nepal’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said the downpour combined with glacial melt and soaked slopes to turn hillsides into flowing mud.
In Kathmandu, the Bagmati River overflowed on Saturday, flooding neighbourhoods and trapping travellers returning from Dashain. Photos show soldiers wading through waist-high water to move families to safety.
Domestic flights were suspended, and major highways, including the Prithvi and Araniko, were blocked by debris. In Ilam, residents described the ground collapsing without warning during holiday gatherings, with homes buried in minutes and neighbours missing.
Further east, near the Everest region, heavy snow and rain have stranded hundreds of trekkers and villagers. Reports of avalanches added fresh hazards. At least 11 people, among them four foreign hikers on the Langtang trail, are missing after floods in Koshi Province.
Nepal Rescue Operations Under Pressure
Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority has deployed more than 2,000 personnel from the army, police, and armed forces. Helicopters are airlifting survivors from hard-to-reach sites.
In Ilam, four people with serious injuries were flown to hospitals late Sunday. Officials warned that more rain is likely through Tuesday, which could raise the death toll and slow relief work.
India has offered quick support to Nepal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences and said India stands ready to help. Relief teams from Bihar are already working with counterparts across the border, sending food, blankets, and medical supplies to affected communities.
The emergency lands at a sensitive moment for Nepal, which is still steadying an interim government after recent unrest. Last year’s floods killed 224 people in the wider region, a stark reminder of the risks tied to mountain weather. Climate groups are urging swift investment in early warning systems and stronger roads, bridges, and slopes to reduce future losses.
At first light on Monday, volunteers searched through mud for survivors and possessions. In Darjeeling, tea workers formed human chains to clear paths, their grief clear as they worked. Community leaders said they would mourn their dead and rebuild together.
The India Meteorological Department has issued red alerts for the Himalayan foothills and advised evacuations near flood-prone rivers. With more rain forecast, attention is shifting to prevention, from shoring up hillsides to clearing drainage channels, and acting on the warnings tied to a warming climate. For families in mourning, those steps come too late for this storm.
