At least 44 people have been killed and several others remain missing in Nepal after heavy rainfall triggered landslides, flooding, and a lightning strike across several districts, officials said on Sunday. Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said most of the deaths were reported from the eastern mountain district of Illam, where whole villages were swept away by landslides after days of continuous rain. “At least 37 people have died in Illam and several others are missing,” an agency spokesperson said. Nepalese army personnel get ready to rescue survivors after a flood in Jhapa district east of Nepal, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (Nepal Army via AP) Local official Bholanath Guragai said six members of the same family were killed when a landslide buried their home while they were asleep. “Rescue work has been difficult as many roads are blocked or washed away,” Guragai told reporters. Authorities said helicopters were being used to evacuate injured people and soldiers were deployed to help move residents to safer areas. One person was also killed in a neighbouring district, while three others died in a lightning strike and three more in flooding in southern Nepal. The government issued a severe rainfall warning for eastern and central Nepal from Saturday to Monday and temporarily closed major highways as a safety measure. Aviation authorities grounded all domestic flights on Saturday due to heavy rain and poor visibility but allowed limited services to resume on Sunday. Nepalese army personnel search for survivors after landslides swept through Nepal's eastern mountain district of Illam, Nepal, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (Nepal Army via AP) The rain and landslides have disrupted travel at a time when hundreds of thousands of people are returning to Kathmandu after celebrating Dashain, Nepal’s biggest festival. One of the main routes to the capital reopened partially on Sunday evening. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences on social media platform X, wrote: “The loss of lives and damage caused by heavy rains in Nepal is distressing. We stand with the people and Government of Nepal in this difficult time. As a friendly neighbour and first responder, India remains committed to providing any assistance that may be required.” The loss of lives and damage caused by heavy rains in Nepal is distressing. We stand with the people and Government of Nepal in this difficult time. As a friendly neighbour and first responder, India remains committed to providing any assistance that may be required.— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 5, 2025 Floods and landslides are common during Nepal’s monsoon season, which usually runs from June to mid-September. Last year, similar disasters killed 224 people and injured more than 150 across the country.In Bengal's north, places like Darjeeling too have bore the brunt of rainfall with at least 20 deaths from the region due to landslides.
