Heavy rain, floods and landslides kill 68 in northern India

Heavy rain, floods and landslides kill at least 68 people across northern India and Nepal. Uttar Pradesh reports 56 deaths and over 1,000 damaged houses, while Nepal records 12 deaths and seven missing. More than 70,000 people are evacuated in flood-hit Odisha Uttar Pradesh accounts for 56 deaths as more than 1,000 houses are damaged by exceptionally heavy rain Fresh floods and landslides kill 12 in Nepal, with seven missing; Odisha evacuates over 70,000 people NUWAKOT DISTRICT, Nepal: Heavy rain triggered floods and landslides across northern India and Nepal, killing at least 68 people over the past three days, disaster authorities said on Sunday. In India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, 56 people have died over the past three days, while more than 1,000 houses have been damaged, the relief commissioner's office said in a statement. Neighbouring Nepal, already reeling from the catastrophic August 26 flood, was hit by a fresh wave of flooding and landslides that has killed 12 people since Thursday. 'Since Thursday, 12 people have died in rain-related disasters like floods and landslides,' Shanti Mahat, spokesperson for Nepal's disaster authority, told AFP, adding that seven more people were missing. Scientists have warned in recent years of an increase in extreme weather events across South Asia, linking them to rising temperatures and changing climate patterns. The flooding in Nepal last month, triggered by a glacial mountain collapse on the China-Nepal border, has killed more than 1,400 people and left thousands missing. Uttar Pradesh, home to more than 240 million people, is frequently battered by rain and thunderstorms during the annual monsoon season from June to September. The latest deaths were reported during a spell of 'exceptionally heavy rain' after a 'depression over the Bay of Bengal moved inland and intensified rainfall across the region', the relief commissioner's office said. The state recorded 66.5 millimetres of rain between Friday and Sunday, compared with the seasonal average of 7.6mm, it added. The heavy rain also caused extensive damage to crops, with farmers raising concerns over delays in sowing for the upcoming season. In India's eastern state of Odisha, more than 70,000 people living in low-lying areas were evacuated after rivers swelled following heavy downpours, NDTV news network reported. The rains damaged bridges and culverts, forcing officials to shut down Devkund, a popular tourist spot in the state. Monsoon-related disasters are an annual occurrence across India after long summers, during which many parts of the country face water scarcity and drought.