Provincial spokesmen in Nangarhar, Kabul,Khost, Laghman and Nuristan said that all the floods struck early Saturday. Flash floods are common in those provinces and all are fed by rivers that eventually intersect in Nangarhar.

In Kabul’s Surobi district, police chief Shaghasi Ahmadi said 34 people were killed in a remote and mountainous area. He said 22 of the bodies from Surobi were later found downstream in Laghman.

Surobi has a number of rivers running through it. It is also rife with Taliban activity.

Ahmadi said food, tents and other emergency supplies were being sent to the district from the capital.

Downstream in the adjacent province of Nangarhar, a government statement said 17 people were killed by the floods.

President Hamid Karzai’s office said another seven died in Khost and Nuristan.

Rain quickly can weaken the structures of the mud-walled homes that dot the countryside in Afghanistan, causing the buildings to collapse during heavy downpours. In neighboring Pakistan on Saturday, the same storm system brought heavy rain that caused more than 100 homes to collapse and caved in a factory wall, killing at least 14 people.

Parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and the tribal areas were worst affected by the torrential rains, with as many as 13 reported dead and 34 injured in separate incidents yesterday, The Express Tribune reported on Saturday.

Six deaths were reported in Punjab, the paper said. Extensive property damage was reported from the country’s northern regions and residents in many areas were forced to leave their homes as rainwater inundated their homes.

More mass displacement is expected, as the water level continues to rise. Nearly 50,000 cusecs of water flowed into Warsak Dam yesterday, increasing its water level. Officials fear the flooding may reach Nowshera today.

According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), seven districts of KP, including Nowshera, Swat, Peshawar and Kohistan, are sensitive.

PDMA Director-General Atifur Rehman said tents, water and food supplies have been sent to these areas, but “the situation is something to worry about.”

As of now, Chitral district appeared to be the worst hit. Floods have claimed five lives since Thursday morning, as rainwater washed away dozens of houses and destroyed two bridges connecting the Kalash valley to Upper Chitral. A minor girl was also reported injured in the district.

Talking to reporters while visiting the affected areas, Chitral deputy commissioner Shoaib Jadoon said rains and flash floods destroyed at least 60 houses in the district.

Unofficially, however, the figure was as high as 120. At least 45 of these houses belonged to the Bamboret valley.

Communications and water and electricity supply systems in the entire district were severely disrupted as well.

Jadoon added that the district administration has launched rescue efforts and moved flood victims to safer ground in Chitral city.

Four people were killed in Bagh in PoK when their vehicle was swept off the road by flash floods. Another man reportedly drowned in Bagh’s Ghaniabad area. Seventeen more people were also reported injured across PoK.

The heavy downpour also caused millions of rupees worth of property damage in the region, destroying commercial and residential buildings as well as crops.

A boy and his mother were killed in Bajaur Agency, as the roof of their house collapsed due to the heavy downpour.

In a similar incident, a man was killed and his father critically injured in Peshawar district when the roof of the room they were in collapsed.

Two children were killed in Timergara when a landslide struck their house. Rainfall also demolished the wall of a mosque in Karak city, injuring five worshippers.

Prem Kumari Darlami, 12; and son Bishnu Darlami, 8, were killed in the incident. The two were killed in Khanichhap VDC-7 in Palpa district last night.

Similarly, Rita Bhattarai, 25, of Kuwakot VDC-5 of Syangja district died after a landslip buried her while fetching water.

The districts of Lumbini and Gandaki zones have witnessed heavy rainfall since last evening.

Meanwhile, the Siddhartha Highway has been disrupted due to landslides in many sections.

Likewise, five persons of a family went missing after a house was swept away by a landslide at Marbu, police said.

The missing are Pale Thami, his wife Shiva Laxmi Thami and their three grandchildren, DSP Om Adhikari said. 

ITAHARI: Normal life in different areas in the eastern part of the country was affected due to incessant rainfall. At least five persons have died and three others are still missing due to floods.

According to the Eastern Regional Police Office, Biratnagar, hundreds of people have been displaced in different districts in the east. Similarly, two persons were dead and three are still missing indifferent places in Jhapa district, stated the Office.

An unidentified woman of around 42 years of age was swept away by Kamalkhola (river) in Panchganchi VDC-1, while two-year-old Rohaman Karmakar, son of Raju Karmakar of Sharanamati VDC-8 drowned in drainage near his home in the district. Condition of missing Shiva Rai, 24, Dhiraj Tajpuriya, 25, and one unidentified youth, who were swept away by the Ratuwakhola (river) since Monday has not been known.

The youth had gone missing while they were collecting firewood brought by the flooded river, stated police at Damak.

Similarly, 72-year-old, Tul Bahadur Rai of Jalpa Chilaune VDC-8 died after he fell on a causeway at Bhantabari of Triyuga Municipality, Udayapur district while he was crossing the river.

Likewise, Pramila Magar, of Tribeni VDC-4, died as she slipped on her way to fetch drinking water in Udayapur.In the similar incident in Kerabari VDC-3 of Morang district, Sujan Limbu, of Singha Devi VDC-7 died last evening while he was crossing river.

Meanwhile, as many as 1,200 houses were inundated in Portaha VDC of Saptari district after the Mahuli Embankment was broken away, confirmed the Eastern Regional Police Office, Biratnagar.

Also, as many as 300 houses have been at high risk of flood when the Bakrahakhola (river) in Govindapur VDC eroded land while 30 houses have been completely inundated in Itahara VDC, 40 houses in Hattimudha VDC, said police.

Some of the houses were demolished and dozens of houses are at high risk due to flood water on Budhikhola at Itahari, Sunsari, and around half dozen of VDCs have been inundated due to flood water in Sunsarikhola (river), police said.

Likewise, in Saptari district, flood in different rivers inundated around a dozen VDCs.As many as 700 houses were inundated due to flood water in Mahuli and Sundari rivers in Maina Kaderi, Barmajhiya, Trikaul, Bairaba, and Portaha, among other VDCs.The flood water also entered in Barmajhiya Bazaar, along the East-West Highway.

In the meantime, District Natural Disaster Control and Relief Committee, Morang held an emergency meeting to find possible solutions to rescue people from flood affected and inundated areas.The meeting chaired by Ganesh Raj Karki, Chief District Officer (CDO), held discussions to manage rescue support to the flood affected and inundated areas.

The meeting also reviewed the rescue efforts made in the initiatives of the committee and thought for possible arrangement for food, shelter, clothes, security, and health condition of the rescued people in the district. The committee has urged the government and non-government organizations to support in data collection and relief distribution to the flood victims.

BEIJING: Flooding in western China, the worst in 50 years for some areas, has triggered a landslide that buried up to 40 people and destroyed a high-profile memorial to a devastating 2008 earthquake.

There was no immediate word on the chances of survival for the 30 to 40 people buried in the city of Dujiangyan, but rescue workers with search dogs had rushed to the area, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Mudslides and flooding are common in China’s mountainous areas, killing hundreds of people every year. Deforestation has led to soil erosion and made some parts of China prone to mudslides after strong rains.

In nearby Beichuan county, flooding destroyed buildings and destroyed exhibits at a memorial for the earthquake five years ago in Sichuan province that left 90,000 people dead or missing. The quake left the Beichuan county seat unliveable. The town was abandoned and 27 square kilometers (10 square miles) of ruins was turned into a memorial and museum.

The flooding also caused the collapse of an almost 50-year-old bridge in a neighboring county, sending six vehicles into the raging waters and leaving 12 people missing.

Since Sunday, flooding in Sichuan has affected 360,000 people, damaging or destroying 300 homes, and forcing at least 6,100 emergency evacuations, state media reported.

NEW DELHI: Persistent efforts over the past more than 10 days have succeeded in the evacuation of more than 100,000 people, including locals, from the rain and flood-hit areas of Uttarakhand as authorities cremated more bodies in Kedarnath on Thursday. Around 1,800 people are still stranded in the state.

With 12 days elapsing since the flood-rain tragedy hit the state, a clearer picture of the massive losses has began to emerge. Over 1,500 roads have been swept away, while around 2,000 houses and 154 bridges have been damaged.

The bodies of 18 personnel – from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) – who were among the 20 killed in Tuesday’s chopper crash were also recovered.

Ten of the bodies were taken to Gauchar, which the IAF is using as an air base for rescue operations.

An ITBP officer said some of the bodies were so badly burnt that it was difficult to identify them.

The Mi-17 helicopter was carrying 20 personnel including five from the IAF, six from the ITBP and nine from the NDRF when it crashed on Tuesday near Gaurikund while on a rescue mission.

NDMA vice chairman M Shashidhar Reddy said : “Approximately 1,829 people are still stranded all over Uttarakhand and we are hopeful that the rescue operation would be over by Friday.”

The National Disaster Management Authority, an autonomous body to coordinate disaster preparedness, said 104,095 people had been evacuated from the state till Thursday.

Reddy said 560 people have died, 463 have been injured and 344 missing in the floods.

“Around 2,000 houses were damaged as well as 154 bridges,” he told reporters.

Reddy also said that several roads, which had been closed due to the rescue operations, have now been opened. The roads from Uttarkashi to Gangotrri, Joshimath to Badrinath and a few roads going towards Rudryaprayag are still closed due to damage in landslides and repair work was on.

He said that 1,520 roads were damaged all over the state.

After 300 bodies were cremated together on Wednesday, another batch of bodies was cremated on Thursday.

Reddy said DNA samples of all the bodies have been taken. He did not have the number of bodies cremated.

With many bodies still buried under the debris, NDRF teams have been asked to assist the local administration to recover the bodies, Reddy said.

The union health ministry has stated that no disease outbreak has been reported from any part of Uttarakhand.

The delegation comprising of party leaders Lokendra Bahadur Chand, Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani and central members urged Chairman Regmi for relief to the victims and reconstruction of the damaged infrastructures.

On the occasion, they also discussed on holding the upcoming election to the Constituent Assembly (CA) in a free and fair manner.

Chairman Regmi urged to move ahead without being entangled in any dispute as it was the responsibility of all the political parties to hold the CA election successfully in the context that its date has been already declared, Lohani quoted Regmi as saying.

Regmi informed that the government has made all the necessary preparations required for the election.

However, leader Chanda pointed out that the government should take initiative to increase broader participation of people in election and to ensure participation of more and more political parties in the election.

Chanda stressed that the government should move ahead by making short-term and long-term plans as the landslides and floods have destroyed infrastructures across the country, Co-spokesperson of the party, Kiran Giri quoted Chanda.

The party also demanded that reconstruction of the damaged physical infrastructures be carried out soon and special compensation be provided to families of those who lost their lives in the floods.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Indian government was appealed in writing via Nepali Embassy to evacuate the Nepalis from the stranded areas.

Spokesperson at the Ministry Arjun Bahadur Thapa said that the total number of the people stranded in flood is not confirmed yet and efforts were on to evacuate them from the affected areas.

It is learnt that over 1000 Nepalis who had gone to Uttarakhand for job and religious journey have come in touch with the officials while nearly 200 have arrived home.

Two officials of Ministry have reached the flood affected areas and the Nepalis are being evacuated with the support from India in helicopters.

KATHMANDU: Chairman of the Interim Election Council Khil Raj Regmi and UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda held discussions this morning regarding the issues ranging from relief to the flood victims and election preparations.

During the meeting, the two discussed the ways to provide relief to the flood victims in the far and mid west districts.

On Thursday, Chairman Regmi had visited the flood affected districts and announced to provide Rs 500 million in the new budget.

Prachanda also thanked the government’s promptness to provide relief to the flood victims.

Likewise, Prachanda also asked Regmi to provide Rs 100,000 each to every flood victim family.

During the meeting, the UCPN (Maoist) Chairman also urged Regmi to hold talks with the Indian officials regarding the construction of Dhauliganga embankment carried out by the Indian government.

Locals and stakeholders have said that the embankment was the main cause of damage in Darchula district caused by flood last week.

Meanwhile, Nepali Congress leaders have also urged Regmi to expedite government bid to distribute relief to the flood victims.

Spokesperson at the Foreign Ministry, Arjun Bahadur Thapa, said the Nepali pilgrims stranded after the disaster at Badri Kedar of Uttarkhand in India were being rescued by the Indian government upon the request of Nepal government.

Seventy out of some 400 Nepalis stranded have already been airlifted to safe camps at Dehradun and Rishikesh of India, he added.

“Nepali Embassy in New Delhi is also constantly in contact with the Indian rescuers and doing the needful to rescue the affected Nepalis. And, there has been no reported Nepali casualty in the disaster,” said Spokesperson Thapa.

According to the Indian media, the landslides and floods lashed Uttarkhand of India, killing at least 70 persons, affecting 60,000 people and destroying massive physical infrastructures recently.

Badri Kedar is one of the holy pilgrim sites that Hindus from Nepal visit frequently.