UN aids response efforts in Nepal, India after monsoons trigger landslides

In western India, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that more than 100 people reportedly have been killed, while the search continues for some 60 others.

OCHA’s office in Bangkok is in close contact with authorities in the region, where search-and-rescue operations have been ongoing for more than five days. Around 350 personnel from the Indian National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are working to clear the debris and recover bodies.

Meanwhile, in northeast Nepal, a separate landslide killed at least 10 people in the middle of the night as they slept. Authorities said the death toll could climb to more than 150 people.

The landslide has also blocked the Sunkoshi River, forming a lake which is threatening to cause downstream flash floods, the UN agency warned.

Governments in both Nepal and India are evacuating thousands of people along the river embankment. This, as responders are struggling to secure a controlled release of the water with continuous rain hampering access to the affected area.

The landslide has displaced 5,000 families and destroyed dozens of houses, a UN spokesperson on Monday said, briefing journalists in New York.

The National Emergency Operations Centre has asked for health, food, and shelter support in the most affected districts. OCHA has said that it is working with partners to respond to the requests for support.