Nepal: Many dead and several missing after houses were washed away in flood waters
Heavy rain and landslides have killed at least 12 people in Nepal and 19 others are missing, the country's police said on Friday. Three children are among those who died in landslides. The Himalayan country has been witnessing very heavy rainfall since Thursday.
Most of the landslides happened in Sarangkot and Hemjan areas of Pokhara in Nepal, according to a report in news agency Press Trust of India. Pokhara, about 200 kilometers west of Kathmandu, is a popular tourist destination and serves as a base for trekkers in the Himalayas.
Among the 12, five were killed after a house was buried in landslide in Sarangkot early morning on Friday, the police said. Three members of a family were killed in Lamjung district and two others lost their lives in Rukum.
Several people are missing after two houses were buried in a landslide in Jajorkot district. Landslides have also blocked roads in western part of the country. Many houses are reportedly swept away in floods as waters surged in the local streams after incessant rain. Blocked roads and mudslides are hampering rescue operations, say local news reports.
Narayani and other major rivers in Nepal have swollen due to the continuous downpour in the last 48 hours. The country's weather office has forecast more monsoon rain for another three days.