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'Zombie' Hurricane John regains strength in Pacific, flooding parts of Mexico's southwestern coastUpdate October 1
Towns along Mexico's southwestern coast are dealing with torrential rain, flooding and landslides after tropical storm John strengthened back into a Category 1 hurricane on Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
John is considered a "zombie" storm - a term referring to systems that dissipate before strengthening back into a storm. After slamming into Mexico as a deadly Category 3 hurricane on Monday night, it dissipated before returning as a hurricane, battering Mexico's Pacific coast. Even after initially dissipating, remnants of the storm continued to move along the coast, bringing continuous rainfall.
In the resort city of Acapulco, which still hasn't fully recovered from the destruction of Hurricane Otis last year, several neighborhoods were flooded and residents in at-risk areas were told to evacuate to temporary shelters. Parts of the city have received over 500mm of rain this week, and 431mm over just the past 24 hours.
Along Mexico's southern Pacific coast, floodwaters receded on Monday, leaving behind devastated towns and 17 dead, after John struck the coast once as a hurricane and again as a tropical storm last week.
Desperate residents in the town of Coyuca de Benitez, about 35 miles west of the resort city of Acapulco, organised volunteers to go to outlying areas to burn the bloated bodies of farm animals that drowned.
The carcasses could become a health risk, so teams of townspeople set out with cans of diesel to help them in their grim work.
The Mexican army began delivering aid packages to families in the town that were hit last year by Hurricane Otis and then last week — twice — by John.
Floods and landslides in Nepal have resulted in 129 deaths over the past 24 hours, according to data from the Armed Police Force (APF) and Nepal Police on Sunday. Additionally, 62 people are missing, and at least 100 others have sustained injuries. Nepal has also had to close down its schools for three days. Authorities reported significant damage to university and school buildings, making repairs necessary.Update September 30
"We have urged the concerned authorities to close schools in the affected areas for three days," said Lakshmi Bhattarai, spokesperson for the education ministry told Reuters.
The heavy rains disrupted traffic and daily life in the Kathmandu valley, which has a population of 4 million.
Some areas of the capital experienced up to 322.2 mm (12.7 inches) of rainfall, raising the Bagmati river 2.2 meters (7 feet) above the danger mark. However, Govinda Jha, a weather forecaster, noted that the intensity of rain had decreased by Sunday morning, with only isolated showers expected.
Rescue efforts are ongoing, with police teams clearing mud and recovering bodies from two buses caught in a landslide on a key route into Kathmandu.
The number of people killed by flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall over the weekend in Nepal reached 193 while recovery and rescue work stepped up Monday.Update October 1
Many of the deaths were in the capital, Kathmandu, which got heavy rainfall, and much of southern part of the city was flooded. Police said in a statement that 31 people were still reported missing and 96 people were injured across the Himalayan nation.
Rescuers on Tuesday searched for people still missing and tried to recover bodies of those killed in weekend flooding and landslides in Nepal that killed more than 200 people.
Weather continued to improve, and workers were clearing the highways that were blocked by landslides. Sections of several highways next to raging rivers were washed away, however, and those repairs will likely take longer.
The disaster came just ahead of the country's biggest festival Dasain, which begins on Thursday when people return home to celebrate with their families. The damage to roads is likely to hamper festival travel plans for many.
The government has said it was focusing on helping people who were stranded and who have lost their homes in the flooding and landslides.
Nepal police said the death toll by Tuesday had reached 217 while 143 people had been injured. There were still 28 people who were reported missing and searches were continuing for them.
Comment: Update September 28
Newsnationnow.com reports: Update September 29
AP reports: Update September 30
CBS News reports: Update October 1
ITV reports: Update October 2
CNN reports: Update October 3
AP reports: