At least 30 people have died in Nepal following a new wave of landslides and heavy rain, as the Himalayan nation continues to recover from devastating floods in August that killed more than 1,400 people and left thousands missing.
According to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, more than 1,900 families have been affected since the end of last week, while at least 240 homes have been destroyed.
The latest disaster has also caused widespread damage to key infrastructure, with roads, buildings and bridges swept away by powerful floodwaters.
The deteriorating conditions have forced hundreds of trekkers in the Annapurna region, one of Nepal’s major trekking destinations and an important contributor to the country’s economy, to cut their journeys short for safety reasons.
Many trekkers have had to be evacuated by helicopter from the districts of Manang and Mustang as dangerous conditions continued.
The disaster has also left communities mourning the loss of family members, with residents recounting the devastating impact of the latest floods and landslides.
Buti Tamang, a local resident sheltering in Battar, north of Kathmandu, described the scale of the destruction.
“We had a home before, but now we have nothing. We have lost many family members,” he said.
Trekkers and guides have meanwhile described the journey down from the mountains as extremely dangerous, with some taking up to three or four days to reach safety because of collapsed trails and damaged bridges.
British trekker Jake Stacy, 21, said he became stranded with his guide at Yak Kharka in upper Manang after heavy snowfall made further travel impossible.
The pair were forced to abandon plans to continue towards Thorong La Pass, the highest point on their trekking route.
“We had to make a new route along the mountain slope. It was extremely steep, and we had to climb carefully because there was a river below us. The path was also muddy and very slippery,” he said after reaching the base camp in Pokhara.
