Trekkers airlifted as landslides disrupt Nepal’s Annapurna Circuit

Heavy rain, flooding and landslides have killed at least 81 people in Uttar Pradesh, India, and 27 in Nepal in recent days. The reported figures put the combined toll at no fewer than 108. [1]

In Uttar Pradesh, which borders Nepal, the state relief commissioner’s office recorded 81 rain-related deaths from 25 to 27 September, The Times of India reported. Another 62 people were injured and 2,254 homes were damaged. [3]

In Nepal, ANP and DPA reported 27 deaths, seven injuries and four people missing, citing the disaster-management service. [1] The Kathmandu Post reported at least 21 deaths in western and south-central Nepal, where floods and landslides have displaced more than 1,500 people. [4]

Flooding also damaged a bridge on the Mid-Hill Highway between Parbat and Baglung, halting traffic. About 80 households were moved to safer locations in Pharse. [4]

These deaths are separate from those recorded after the 26 August Bhotekoshi–Trishuli floods in Nepal. In a 21 September update, Nepal’s disaster authority listed 1,451 deaths, including unidentified remains, and 5,745 missing-person entries. It warned that the missing list could include duplicates, rescued people and unidentified bodies. [5] [7]

Update

Hundreds of trekkers have cut short hikes on Nepal’s Annapurna Circuit after heavy rain and landslides, with many evacuated by helicopter from the districts of Manang and Mustang, the BBC reports. The BBC puts the death toll from the latest wave of landslides and rain across Nepal at about 30. [8]

A representative of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project said about 700 people were waiting in Pokhara to begin the circuit. The authority was holding them back despite pressure from the trekking industry to reopen the route.