At least nine people, including four children, died in landslides triggered by heavy rainfall that occurred in many places across the country in the past 24 hours.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) under the Ministry of Home Affairs said five more people succumbed to lightning strikes, and one died in a flood-related incident.

“Eight people have been injured in landslides, lightning strikes and floods, and two others are missing,” said Dijan Bhattarai, spokesperson at the authority. “Relevant agencies in the districts and local units have been activated for rescue and relief works. Two injured people from Dolakha have been airlifted to Kathmandu for further treatment.”

As many as 44 incidents of disaster—landslides, flooding, and lightning—were reported from various districts on Wednesday.

According to the authority's officials, at least 20 people have died from disaster-related incidents since the monsoon entered the country on June 10.

Rescuers retrieved the bodies of all four members of a family who were buried in a landslide on Tuesday night in ward 3 of Kwholasothar Rural Municipality in Lamjung district. They went missing after a mudslide swept away three houses in the settlement.

Surya Prasad Gurung, the chair of the rural municipality, said the bodies were recovered following a search operation carried out by local residents, police, and people's representatives.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Min Bahadur Ghale, the bodies of Rudra Man Gurung, 70, his daughter-in-law Pancha Kumari Gurung, 37, and her two daughters—Ichchha, 9, and Namrata, 5—have been recovered from the debris. Bhim Bahadur Ghale, 36, was injured and has been sent to the district headquarters, Besisahar, for treatment, said police.

In another incident of landslide in the district, a teenager died after being buried by a landslide in ward 9 of Dordi Rural Municipality on Wednesday. Two teenage boys, aged 16 and 18, were injured after the rain-triggered disaster destroyed their house on Tuesday night.

The siblings were rushed to the Lamjung Hospital in Besisahar. The 16-year-old was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital, said Police Inspector Meghnath Chapagain. The injured are being treated at the hospital and further investigation into the matter is underway.

In Kaski, two children died and a woman was injured in separate landslides. Aayushma Ranabhat, 13, died in Chitepani after her house was swept away in Madi Rural Municipality-5 in the wee hours of Wednesday, police said.

The teen and her 70-year-old grandmother, Lalmaya Banjara, were at home at the time of the incident. Lalmaya is out of danger, said police.

Likewise, a three-year-old boy was also killed in a separate landslide in Aarupata in ward 27 of Pokhara Metropolitan City at around 3am.

The child died after local Hari Sunwar’s mud-thatched house collapsed in the disaster, burying all those inside.

Hari’s 27-year-old wife Ritu sustained serious injuries. Hari and his other child, a nine-year-old girl, were rescued unharmed by the police. The house has been completely damaged and rendered uninhabitable.

In Okhaldhunga, Devkumari Khatri died while her husband and daughter sustained serious injuries when a landslide buried a house and a shed at Thumki in ward 5 of Chisankhugadhi Rural Municipality on Wednesday morning. The security personnel and the villagers rescued the injured and rushed them to hospital.

Similarly, in Chitwan, a 45-year-old man was feared dead after being swept away by the rain-swollen Magui stream in ward 5 of Madi Municipality on Wednesday afternoon. According to the District Police Office, Ran Bahadur Kami was swept away while he was crossing the flooded stream.

In Morang, various settlements were inundated by rainwater in Biratnagar Metropolitan City on Wednesday. Most education institutions remained closed after their campuses were submerged.

Himali road, Fifa road, Trimarga, Astha Road and Miter Road areas in ward 3 of Biratnagar were highly affected due to poor drainage. Similarly, several settlements in wards 4, 6, 8, 11, 15, 16, 17 and 18 were affected by the inundation. “Houses were inundated in up to two feet of water due to the poorly built drainage system,” said Basu Bhandari of ward 3 of Biratnagar.

In Saptari, around 50 houses were inundated in ward 1 of Rupani Rural Municipality after floodwaters from the Khando river entered the settlement. According to Dinesh Kumar Yadav, chairman of the rural municipality, the river breached its embankment and entered the settlement.

According to the NDRRMA, a total of 33 districts have been affected by water-induced disasters across the country since June 10. As many as 14 people died in floods and landslides till Wednesday. Likewise, nine people died from lightning during the same period of time.

The Meteorological Forecasting Division Under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said several districts witnessed heavy to extremely heavy rainfall on Wednesday.

“Most districts of Koshi, Madhesh, Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini and Sudurpaschim Province witnessed rainfall in the last 24 hours,” said Govinda Kumar Jha, a meteorologist at the division. “Some places witnessed heavy to extremely heavy rainfall.”

Met officials said heavy to extremely heavy rainfall are likely in most provinces except for Karnali on Thursday and Friday as well, as the monsoon has been active across the country. He said some places in Karnali province could also

witness heavy rainfall.

The met office has also forecast above-normal rains and above-average maximum and minimum temperatures this monsoon, which could unleash extreme weather events, such as flooding, inundation, and landslides.

The department’s climate section has forecast weather conditions for four months (June to September). It said most parts of the country are likely to experience above-average minimum and maximum temperatures and rainfall due to weakened El Nino conditions, and the development of La Nina conditions.

El Nino conditions are the climatic patterns in which the ocean’s water surface warms, unusually. Conversely, the cooling of the ocean surface happens in the La Nina conditions.

Floods and landslides cause huge losses to life and property every year, but the country is poorly prepared to deal with disasters.

The authority estimated that 1.81 million people and 412,000 households will be affected by this year’s monsoon. As many as 83,000 households will be directly affected, and 18,000 families must be rescued in monsoon-related disasters.

Nepal is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the climate crisis, and for over a decade, it has witnessed multiple extreme weather events.

Evidence suggests the maximum temperature in Nepal is rising faster, at 0.056 degrees Celsius a year, compared to the global average of a rise of 0.03 degrees Celsius a year.

Experts say extreme weather events—excessive rainfall in a short time, continuous rain for several days post-monsoon, dry spells and droughts, below-average precipitation, and above-normal temperatures in winter—have become more frequent in Nepal.

In the past few years, the country has been receiving more rainfall in short durations—an abnormal phenomenon that is slowly becoming a new normal. Experts say changes in rainfall patterns, which have become severe and erratic in the past few years as an impact of climate change, have contributed to extreme weather events like floods and landslides annually.

Five killed after being hit by lightning strikes

DHANGADHI/KAPILVASTU: Five people died after being struck by lightning in separate incidents in the past 24 hours. Two died in Kailali and Kapilvastu each while one died in Lamjung district. Shalim Chaudhari, 27, died after being hit by lightning in a paddy field near his house in ward 18 of Dhangadhi Sub-metropolis on Wednesday morning.

Similarly, Jayaram Dagaura, 31, of ward 3 of Joshipur Rural Municipality died when lightning struck him in a paddy field near his house. According to the District Police Office in Kailali, six other people sustained injuries in separate incidents of lightning in the district.

Likewise, Raju Thakur, 17, from ward 10 of Buddhabhumi Municipality and Mahesh Kalawar, 22, from ward 6 of Yashodhara Rural Municipality died after being struck by lightning in Kapilvastu. Both the victims were hit by lightning while preparing land for paddy transplantation. Similarly, in Lamjung, Dan Bahadur Bhujel, 65, died after being struck by lightning near his residence in ward 7 of Kwholasothar Rural Municipality. He died as he went out of his house to answer nature’s call.