At least 65 dead in Nepal and India amid flooding and landslides.

At least 65 people have died in a series of flooding and landslide events in Nepal and India since Friday 3 October 2025. The majority of the deaths have occurred in the Ilam District of Nepal, where 37 people have died in a series of landslide events, with many more still missing. At least eight more people have been killed in floods, landslides, and lightning strikes elsewhere in Nepal. In India, at least 20 people have died in flash floods and landslips in the Darjeeling District of West Bengal, which borders onto Ilam District in Nepal.

A landslide in Ilam District, Nepal, which occurred on Saturday 4 October 2025. National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.

The events are associated with heavy rains caused by an ongoing Monsoon Season in Nepal, which typically begins in June and ends around the middle of September. The annual monsoon in Nepal claims a large number of lives each year, and late rains such as these bring with them additional problems, as by September the ground in low lying areas of Nepal is often waterlogged, and the waters rivers and lakes high, if not actually overflowing. This means that even if the rains stop soon, their effects are likely to be felt for some time yet. Sadly, while late rains were once a rare event, they are becoming more common as a result of global warming, which is resulting in a hotter, wetter climate in the region.

Monsoons are tropical sea breezes triggered by heating of the land during the warmer part of the year (summer). Both the land and sea are warmed by the Sun, but the land has a lower ability to absorb heat, radiating it back so that the air above landmasses becomes significantly warmer than that over the sea, causing the air above the land to rise and drawing in water from over the sea; since this has also been warmed it carries a high evaporated water content, and brings with it heavy rainfall. In the tropical dry season, the situation is reversed, as the air over the land cools more rapidly with the seasons, leading to warmer air over the sea, and thus breezes moving from the shore to the sea (where air is rising more rapidly) and a drying of the climate. This situation is particularly intense in South Asia, due to the presence of the Himalayas. High mountain ranges tend to force winds hitting them upwards, which amplifies the South Asian Summer Monsoon, with higher winds leading to more upward air movement, thus drawing in further air from the sea.

Diagrammatic representation of wind and rainfall patterns in a tropical monsoon climate. Geosciences/University of Arizona.

See also...

Leopard attack thwarted by Dog in Darjeeling.

A Dog has thwarted a Leopard attack on its owner in the town of Sonada in Darjeeling District, West Bengal State, India. The incident happened on Wednesday 14 August 2019, when Aruna Lama, 58, heard a disturbance in a storage area beneath her kitchen, where the family kept some live Chickens. She went to investigate the noise, and when she opened the door, was pounced on by a Leopard, which seized her by the head and trying to drag her away. The Leopard quickly abandoned the attack when it was set upon by the family Dog, a four-year-old Tibetan Mastiff Cross called, Tiger, who was adopted by the family in 2017 after being found in a half-starved state. Confronted with the angry Dog the Leopard fled the scene, with Dog in pursuit, and has not been seen since, though officials from the Indian Forest Service are attempting to capture it for relocation.

Aruna Lama, 58, of Sonada in Darjeeling, saved from a Leopard attack by her Dog on 14 August 2019. Times of India.

Leopards are considered to be Vulnerable under the terms of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species, with the Indian subspecies, Panthera pardus fusca, considered to be particularly vulnerable due to India's rapidly rising Human population, which has resulted in agriculture and other Human activities expanding into many former wilderness areas. For this reason the Indian Forest Service usually try to relocate Leopards that come into conflict with Humans to more remote areas, preferably within national parks, though the extent to which local people co-operate is variable.

Tiger, a four-year-old Tibetan Mastiff cross that saved his owner from a Leopard attack in Darjeeling on 14 August 2019. Times of India.

See also...

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.

Mesoshieldophyes varecae: A new species of Eriophyoid Mite from Darjeeling.

Mites (Acari) are small Arachnids related to Harvestmen (Opilones). They are one of the most numerous and diverse Arthropod groups, with over 48 000 known species, but are often overlooked due to their small size. Many Mites are parasitic, with species targeting Insects, Vertebrates, Plants and even Fungi. The earliest known fossil Mites are found in the Early Devonian Rhynie Chert of Scotland, making them about 410 million years old. The Eriophyoidea are a group of herbivorous mites, many Eriophyoid Mites cause plants to form galls (tissue growths which cover and protect the parasite), but others are free living. All Eriophyoid Mites show reduced leg numbers, with free living species having at most two pairs of legs, and gall-forming species only one. Like Mites as a whole, the Eriophyoidea is an ancient group, with the oldest known example coming from Late Triassic amber from Italy.

In a paper published in the journal ZooKeys on 9 May 2019, Samiran Chakrabarti of the Post-Graduate Department of Zoology at Vidyasagar College, Ramkrishna Pandit of the Department of Zoology at Mahadevananda Mahavidyalaya, and Surajit Sur, also of the Post-Graduate Department of Zoology at Vidyasagar College, describe a new species of Eriophyoid Mite from West Bengal State, India.

The new species is named Mesoshieldophyes varecae, where 'Mesoshieldophyes' meaning 'medium-shield-wool-grower' and 'varecae' refers to the host, the Asamese Honey-plant, Casearia vareca, a fruiting shrub in the Willow Family, widely distributed in eastern India, Bangladeah, Bhutan, and Myanmar. The species is described from 12 female mites, 120–145 μm in length, with a flattened spindle shape and two pairs of legs. The mites are yellow in colour and were found on the underside of leaves, where they caused no visible damage. The specimens were collected from a plant in the Bengdubi Forest in the Darjeeling District of West Bengal.

Mesoshieldophyes varecae, dorsal view. Chakrabarti et al. (2019).

See also...

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.

Landslide kills one in Darjeeling District, West Bengal State, India.

One person has died and another five have been treated for injuries following a landslide at Bhotey Bhir in Darjeeling District, West Bengal State, India, On Thursday 14 January 2016. The incident happened at about 5.00 pm local time, when a quantity of rocks became detached from a cliff beside the road, falling onto vehicles below. The dead man has been identified as Mukesh Chhetri, 32, a truck driver from Baikuntapally in Siliguri. while the five injured persons were all members of a single family from Majitar near Rangpo in East Sikkim who were traveling to Bhutan in an SUV on a pilgrimage at the time of the incident, all were treated in hospital for what have been described as minor injuries.

The scene of the 14 January 2016 Bhotey Bhir landslide. Darjeeling Times.

The precise cause of the incident have yet to be determined, but it is thought most likely to have been related to road widening work being carried out near the site of the rockfall, in which explosives were being used to blast material from the cliff, the incident happening about 15 m from the site of the blasting and an (unoccupied) works vehicle also being buried by the event.

See also...

Series of landslides kills at least 30 in Darjeeling, India.                                            At least 30 people have died and at least sixteen more are still missing following a series of landslides which struck the Darjeeling District of West Bengal...

Man killed in Darjeeling landslide.                 A construction worker has been killed in a landslide at Kalimpong in the Darjeeling District of West Bengal State, India. Witnesses report the landslip was quite small, and buried two men, one of whom was able to dig himself out. However the second man was...

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.

 

Series of landslides kills at least 30 in Darjeeling, India.

At least 30 people have died and at least sixteen more are still missing following a series of landslides which struck the Darjeeling District of West Bengal State, India, in the first few days of July 2015. At least 25 separate landslides have occurred, several hitting homes in towns and villages and others blocking roads and railways, thereby hampering rescue efforts. The highest death toll occurred in the resort town of Mirik, where seventeen people have now been confirmed dead and over 200 are currently living in temporary accommodation due to damage to or destruction of their homes. Deaths have also been confirmed in Kalimpong, Lava, Sukhia and Gorubathan.

The body of a landslide victim recovered in Darjeeling on Wednesday 1 July 2015. Mikma Lepcha/The Indian Express.

The landslides occurred following a period of 48 hours of continuous heavy rainfall. Landslides are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to flow like liquids. Approximately 90% of all landslides are caused by heavy rainfall. Such events are common during the monsoon season in Darjeeling, which lasts from June to September, but had not been a problem previously this year, with the area receiving cool weather and moderate rainfall that attracted many visitors to the district's resorts.

Rescue workers searching a building following a landslide in Darjeeling. National Disaster Response Force.

Monsoons are tropical sea breezes triggered by heating of the land during the warmer part of the year (summer). Both the land and sea are warmed by the Sun, but the land has a lower ability to absorb heat, radiating it back so that the air above landmasses becomes significantly warmer than that over the sea, causing the air above the land to rise and drawing in water from over the sea; since this has also been warmed it carries a high evaporated water content, and brings with it heavy rainfall. In the tropical dry season the situation is reversed, as the air over the land cools more rapidly with the seasons, leading to warmer air over the sea, and thus breezes moving from the shore to the sea (where air is rising more rapidly) and a drying of the climate. This situation is particularly intense in South Asia, due to the presence of the Himalayas. High mountain ranges tend to force winds hitting them upwards, which amplifies the South Asian Summer Monsoon, with higher winds leading to more upward air movement, thus drawing in further air from the sea. 

Diagrammatic representation of wind and rainfall patterns in a tropical monsoon climate. Geosciences/University of Arizona.

See also...

Flooding and landslides kill at least 21 in Cox's Bazar as monsoon arrives in Bangladesh.

At least 21 people have died in the district of Cox's Bazar in the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh...

At least seven dead following heavy rains in Guwahati, Assam.

At least seven people have died following torrential rainfall overnight in the city of Guwahati in Assam State, northeast India. Three people from one family were killed and another injured when a landslide struck their...

Seven members of one family killed by landslide in Assam State, India.

Seven members of a single family have been killed by a landslide that struck their home in the village of Satkoragool in the Karimganj District of Assam...

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.

Man killed in Darjeeling landslide.

A construction worker has been killed in a landslide at Kalimpong in the Darjeeling District of West Bengal State, India. Witnesses report the landslip was quite small, and buried two men, one of whom was able to dig himself out. However the second man was trapped beneath an iron mesh, used to contain building materials, causing delays in digging him out. The worker was taken to a local hospital but declared dead on arrival. He has been named as Ritesh Chettri, a 30 year old man from Bhalukhop. The incident happened on Monday 16 September 2013 following heavy rain in the area over the weekend. 

The scene of the Kalimpong landslip on Monday 16 September 2013. Darjeeling Times.

The Himalayas have been suffering the heaviest Monsoon rains in eighty years, triggering widespread flooding and numerous landslides, with more rains forecast over the coming days. Landslides are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to flow like liquids. Approximately 90% of all landslides are caused by heavy rainfall.

The approximate location of the 16 September 2013 Kalimpong landslip. Google Maps.

See also One dead and one missing following Nepal Landslide, Five die in Nepali landslides, Family of five killed by landslide in Sikkim, At least seven dead following Nepal Landslides and At least seven people dead following spoil heap collapse at coal mine in Sundargarh, Odisha State, India.

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.