Rescuers scramble to deliver aid after Nepal, India floods

One hiker dead, hundreds rescued in China

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Rescuers in Nepal and India on Monday scrambled to deliver emergency aid after days of torrential rain triggered landslides and floods that have killed more than 70 people, officials said.

The downpours, which began on October 3, have now eased, but rescue teams are still struggling to reach several cutoff areas with roads blocked and bridges washed away.

Monsoon rains, usually from June to September, bring widespread death and destruction every year across South Asia, but the number of fatal floods and landslides has increased in recent years.

Experts say climate change has worsened their schedule, frequency and intensity.

Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said at least 46 people have died in rain-related incidents — two more than the previous day — while six others remain missing.

“We had to walk long distances through the hills, even fixing ropes to cross the swollen river,” local district police official Laxmi Bhandari told AFP.

“Now that the rain has stopped, we are more committed to providing relief and carrying out rescue operations for the village.”

Security forces have been deployed with helicopters and motorboats to assist the efforts.