Flooding and landslides have killed at least 54 people in western Nepal, and left 142 missing.
The death toll is expected to rise, according to police official Kesh Bahadur Shahi.
Three days of continuous rainfall have flooded 10 districts, destroying houses and washing away farmlands. Tens of thousands of people in villages have been cut off from relief efforts, Shahi said, after roads and highways were flooded or blocked off by landslides in the districts. Poor weather conditions have also made it difficult for rescue helicopters to reach those trapped.
The flood destroyed sections of the Mahendra Highway, which connects the eastern and western parts of Nepal, The New York Times reported. As it depends on imports, the highway's closures will affect thousands of Nepalese residents, the newspaper said.
Some have criticized Nepalese relief efforts for not doing enough. “The rescue and relief distribution to the victims is sluggish,” Sanjay Gautam, a member of the Constituent Assembly for the governing Nepali Congress Party from Bardiya, told The Times. “As a lawmaker, I am really ashamed with the government’s functioning and response.”
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Additional reporting by The Associated Press