Floods and landslides caused by heavy rainfall inflicted loss of lives and property in several places of the country on Thursday.

In Chitwan, at least two persons died while three others went missing in separate incidents of floods and landslides. A woman died after being struck by lightning, said police.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Surya Thapa, a landslide at Rapti Municipality-12 swept away two houses and an animal shed.

“A body was recovered while three persons have gone missing in the landslide,” said Thapa.

A 52-year-old man died after being buried in a landslide at Kalika Municipality-11 in Chitwan district.

According to the District Police Office in Chitwan, transportation along the Narayangadh-Muglin road section was disrupted for hours as landslides blocked the road at Panchkilo area and Kerabari. Transportation services resumed after the debris was cleared late in the afternoon.

Floods in various streams, including Kayar Khola, Ladari Khola and Pampa Khola, inundated settlements and farmlands in the eastern part of the district. The flooded Kayar Khola entered the premises of Baba LPG plant at Belsi in Khairahani Municipality-1 and caused damage.

“Many gas cylinders were swept away and the flood damaged machines as well,” said Bimal Kalakheti, the director at the plant.

Floods in the Ladari Khola swept away a motorable bridge at Khairahani-3. According to Mayor Lalmani Chaudhary, the 30-metre long bridge connecting the rural areas was swept away while several houses were inundated.

In Sindhuli, two persons died in floods and landslides in the past two days. A man went missing after being swept away by a flooded Labdaha stream on Wednesday evening. His body was recovered near Sisneri on Thursday, said police.

A landslide buried a house in the Ashram of Ram Bahadur Bamjan at Paire of Kamalamai-8 on Thursday, killing one person. The victim was taking shelter in the Ashram.

Floods and landslide related incidents have also greatly affected the Gandaki Province on Thursday. Two individuals lost their lives, eight sustained injuries and dozens of households were displaced by the disasters that occurred in the last 24 hours, according to the Gandaki Provincial Police Office.

In Tanahun, two persons died in a landslide at Tamung, Ward 3 of Bandipur on Thursday. According to the District Police Office, the landslide, which cascaded down a hill above the settlement, swept away a house where they were sleeping at around 3am on Thursday. “Three individuals, who were buried in the landslide, were rescued,” said Khadka Bahadur Thapa, a ward member.

On Wednesday, a team led by Karuna Gurung, the vice-chairperson of the rural municipality, visited Tamung for inspection. “We had informed the local people to move to a safer location citing the threat of a landslide. The landslide fell from a freshly constructed rural road above the settlement,” said Gurung.

The floodwaters of Chundi stream inundated many houses on Thursday. “A permanent bridge in Byas was swept away by Chhabdi stream and has also posed floods and landslide risk to the settlements near the stream,” said Khar Singh Darai, ward chairman of Byas Municipality Ward No. 1.

Multiple landslides in Shukla Gandaki Municipality Ward No. 9 also killed 19 goats and two buffaloes, police said.

Yuvaraj Timilsina, deputy superintendent of police in Tanahun, said, “Various road sections of the Prithvi Highway in Tanahun witnessed landslides on Thursday. However, the highway has been opened for one-way traffic from Thursday evening.”

In Gorkha, multiple landslides and floods at Palungtar Municipality swept away five houses and displaced a dozen households.

According to Prakash Dahal, Deputy Superintendent of Police in Gorkha, eight individuals of Palungtar Ward 9, who were trapped amid the flood in Khar stream, were rescued with the help of local residents and personnel from the Nepal Army and Nepal Police.

“Seven houses at Rautepani, Ward 3 of Palungtar are at risk due to a landslide,” said Pampha Basel, deputy mayor of the municipality, adding that the displaced families are taking shelter at Sagarmatha Basic School’s building in the ward. “The floodwaters of Bhusunde stream damaged 200 ropanies of land in Palungtar Ward 1,” said Anup Kadariya, a local man.

“Khar and Chutti streams also breached their banks in Palungtar Ward 9,” said Rudra Prasad Upreti, a local resident in the ward.

In Lamjung, four families of Garambesi in Rainas Municipality Ward 7 have been displaced by Thursday’s landslide. Jagadish Regmi, police inspector in Lamjung, said, “The displaced families have been shifted to a safer location.”

In Madhyanepal Municipality, the rain-swollen Chardi stream posed flood risk to the bazaar area. The flooded stream swept away the drinking water pipelines, according to the police. A dozen households in various wards have also been affected due to the landslides and floods at Madhyanepal on Thursday.

In Nawalparasi (East), at least 45 houses have been waterlogged as there’s no way out to channelise waters from the Mahendra Highway area in Ward No. 4 of Gaindakot Municipality. Ekadev Rimal, a local man, said “Excavators are being used to release the floodwaters throughout the day. There’s no outlet for the floodwaters collected from the northern part of the highway area. Every year, our settlement gets inundated.”

Similarly, the water level in the Bagmati and Kamala rivers increased on Thursday, leaving several settlements in Sarlahi, Rautahat, Siraha and Dhanusha districts of Province 2 at risk of flooding. The district administration in the respective districts has urged people to stay on high alert. “Water level in the Bagmati river has increased due to continuous rainfall in the area. We have asked people to remain alert,” said Chief District Officer of Rautahat Indradev Yadav.

Hariram Upreti in Gorkha, Aash Gurung in Lamjung and Narayan Sharma in Nawalparasi (East) contributed reporting.