People tread in the flood in Kathmandu, Nepal, July 12, 2019. (Xinhua/sunil sharma)
KATHMANDU, July 12 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from floods and landslides in Nepal climbed to 17 on Friday with hundreds of families displaced from their homes due to torrential rainfall in several districts across the country, authorities said.
Prem Kumar Rai, secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs, told Xinhua that the death toll from the floods and landslides has climbed to 17 as of Friday evening.
"Sixteen people were injured and nine people went missing due to floods and landslides triggered by incessant rainfall. All security agencies including Nepal Army and Nepal Police have been mobilized to take the stock of the situation and carry out rescue operations in various parts of the country," he said.
Twenty-one districts have been badly affected by the flash floods and landslides, according to the data made public by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Friday evening.
Altogether 435 households with 1,175 individuals have been displaced due to the flash floods and landslides, according to the ministry.
Secretary Rai said many districts in the Tarai region have been inundated while transportation along the East-West Highway has been halted.
On Friday evening, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli convened a meeting with cabinet ministers, secretaries and chiefs of security agencies to discuss the situation following flash floods and landslides.
The prime minister ordered the authorities to intensify the rescue and relief operations, a key aide to the prime minister told Xinhua.
Nepal's capital city Kathmandu and various parts have seen an increase in monsoon activity resulting in heavy rainfall, the Meteorological Forecasting Division under Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said.
At least 500 houses have been damaged due to the landslide-related incidents in the past two days.
Major highways including the East-West Highway were blocked due to the flood-related incidents, local media reported. The monsoon activity is expected to continue for the next three days across Nepal, officials said.
