Death toll from monsoon disasters in Nepal reaches 67
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E-mail Xinhua, July 16, 2019
The death toll from floods and landslides triggered by incessant rainfall across Nepal reached 67 on Monday, the Nepal Police confirmed.
The police said in a statement that at least 67 people died in the monsoon induced disasters, among which 41 were males and 26 were females.
"At least 1,445 people from different districts have been rescued successfully and evacuated to safer destinations," the statement said.
Over 40 people sustained injuries in the disasters who have been receiving treatment in different local hospitals, while at least 32 people went missing.
According to the Home Ministry, around 35,000 people were affected by the disasters particularly in the low-lying areas known as Terai region. More than 20 of Nepal's 77 districts were worst-hit due to the floods and landslides.
Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force were deployed in the disaster-hit districts to carry out rescue and relief operations.
Families were displaced after the swollen rivers breached the embankment and gushed into human settlements, especially in Province 2. Over 13,000 families were displaced in Province 2 alone where around 3,500 houses were completely damaged.
The provincial governments announced separate relief packages for the victims, including cash for the families of those who lost their members and free treatment of the injured. The local governments in coordination with different agencies distributed food items, cloths and tarpaulins to the highly affected communities.
The Health Emergency Operation Center under the Health Ministry said that different medical teams with doctors were mobilized in the hard-hit districts to ensure health services to the affected people.
"There is a high risk of possible outbreaks of different water-borne diseases like diarrhea, dysentery, dengue, typhoid among others," Ghanashyam Pokharel, health official at Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, told Xinhua.
According to Meteorological Forecasting Division, though water level in many big rivers is coming down gradually, rainfall will continue in many places across the country and has warned public to stay alert.
Nepal witnesses an active monsoon usually in July and August.
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