Nepal landslides kill 13 people

By Deepak Adhikari

KATHMANDU, Nepal

At least 13 people have been killed and more than two dozen are missing after deadly landslides triggered by torrential rains in Nepal’s remote northeast, officials said Thursday.

The landslides struck after heavy rains which arrived on Wednesday night and continued until Thursday morning, crushing scores of homes in half a dozen hamlets of Taplejung district, said Shanti Raj Koirala, a deputy superintendent with the Nepal Police.

“We have recovered 13 dead bodies so far. Around 30 people are missing,” Koirala said, adding that a section of the Mechi Highway which connects the mountainous district with the country’s southern plains, was blocked by the landslides.

Around 100 police and soldiers have been sent to dig out families trapped under debris, according to Koirala. He said that the landslides have blocked several streams and rivulets in the district, causing water levels to rise.

Poor weather has hampered rescue efforts with a helicopter from Kathmandu being unable to land at the site.

Hundreds of Nepalis die each year from floods and landslides during the county’s monsoon season which runs between June and September.

Last month, a massive landslide blocked Kali Gandaki River in Nepal’s mid-west, forcing hundreds to flee their homes.

Experts have warned of landslides in the Himalayan nation following the devastating earthquakes of the past two months, which killed 8,700 people, injured over 20,000 and left half a million people homeless.