Nearly 200 killed in floods, landslides in Nepal
Kathmandu (PTI): The death toll from rain-induced floods and landslides across Nepal reached nearly 200 on Monday, with at least 30 people still missing, according to the police.
Incessant rainfall from last Friday triggered floods and landslides, wreaking havoc in the Himalayan nation.
At least 192 people have been killed in the continuous rainfall, floods, landslides and inundation, officials from the Nepal Police said.
They said 94 others have also been injured nationwide in the disaster, while 30 others remain missing.
The government has given high priority to search, rescue, and relief operations, MyRepublica news portal reported, quoting Home Ministry Spokesperson Rishiram Tiwari.
Security agencies across the country have been deployed for search, rescue and relief efforts, and more than 4,500 disaster-affected individuals have been rescued so far, the report said.
While those injured are receiving free treatment, food and other emergency relief materials have been provided to others affected by the floods.
Numerous roads throughout the nation are severely damaged, and all routes leading to the capital city, Kathmandu, are still blocked, leaving thousands of travellers stranded, The Kathmandu Post newspaper reported.
Tiwari said efforts are underway to clear the obstructed highways to resume transportation.
Kathmandu's main river, the Bagmati, was flowing above danger levels after incessant rain lashed Large swathes of eastern and central Nepal on Friday and Saturday, a report published by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) said.
"A low-pressure system in the Bay of Bengal and the more northerly than usual position of the monsoon trough was the reason" behind the exceptionally intense rain, it said on Saturday.
Scientists say that while climate change is changing the amount and timing of rainfall across Asia, a key reason for the rise in the impact of floods is the built environment, including unplanned construction, especially on floodplains, which leaves insufficient areas for water retention and drainage.
The floods and landslides have thrown life out of gear in many parts of the country, with many highways and road stretches disrupted, hundreds of houses and bridges buried or swept away, and hundreds of families displaced.
Thousands of passengers have been stranded in various places due to road disruption.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
