Kathmandu, Apr 1 (UNI) A a severe rainstorm that swept through parts of southern Nepal on Sunday has killed more than 31 people.
The officials said on Monday that the storm has injured more than 400 persons.
According to a report in The Kathmandu Post, police and rescue personnel were dispatched to the affected villages in Bara and Parsa districts, but reaching the victims was a challenge during the night.
“We have been coordinating with the local representatives to make use of readily available resources for rescue work,” said Chief District Officer Rajesh Poudel in Bara. “We have yet to identify those who have been killed.”
Provincial officials on Monday launched a disaster relief fund under the chief minister's office and appealed for help in providing immediate relief to victims.
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said rescue teams from Nepal Police, the Army and the Armed Police Force had been deployed overnight. Oli said the government was dispatching night vision helicopters to the affected areas as soon as weather conditions on the ground improved.
On Monday, the Prime Minister’s Office said Oli was postponing all his scheduled programmes for the day and flying to the affected areas to monitor relief efforts.
Province 2 Chief Minister Lalbabu Raut, Province 3 Chief Minister Dor Mani Paudel and other ministers are also leaving for Province 2 to take stock of the rainstorm affected areas.
Meanwhile, hospitals in both districts have been overwhelmed by hundreds of injured. More than 200 victims have been admitted to Kalaiya Hospital, which has only five doctors on duty. The bodies of dead have been piling up at the Narayani Hospital, National Medical College and Healthcare Hospital in neighbouring Birgunj.
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