KATHMANDU
• Monsoon floods and landslides have killed at least 66 people across Nepal and India, but officials fear that figure could almost double as rescuers search for dozens believed lost under the mud and in submerged villages.

The authorities yesterday upgraded the death toll from flash flooding across landlocked Nepal to 49 as thousands fled for higher ground.

"Another 17 are missing. Search and rescue works are under way but the water levels have not declined yet," said Mr Shankar Hari Acharya, the chief of Nepal's national emergency centre.

The Red Cross estimated a higher death toll of 53, with dozens more missing and injured, and thousands of homes destroyed.

In neighbouring India, rescuers were desperately trying to reach two packed buses swept into a gorge by a landslide.

Seventeen bodies have been recovered from the accident site in the Himalayan state, but dozens were still missing somewhere at the bottom of the ravine.

"Around 200m of national highway washed away with two buses and more than 50 are feared buried," said Indian army spokesman Aman Anand, who was helping coordinate rescue efforts. </s> Nepal floods, landslides leave at least 49 dead, dozens missing, officials say

Landslides and flooding triggered by heavy rain have killed at least 49 people in southern Nepal and left thousands homeless, officials say.

The toll is expected to rise with three dozen people reported missing. Another 17 were injured.

The heavy rain, which mainly hit the country's southern plains, led to the evacuation of 5,000 people, a Home Ministry official said.

More than 30 people were reported dead on Saturday.

Army and police continued search and rescue operations, with more than 34,000 houses submerged, the official added.

"The number of dead could increase as we are still compiling the final tally," said Laxmi Pun, an aide to Home Minister Janardan Sharma.

The Red Cross estimated 100,000 people were affected by the disaster, with one official describing how the storm had cut off communication and electricity, adding to the challenges in rescuing people and distributing aid.

In the eastern city of Biratnagar, the airport was closed after the runway was submerged under more than half a metre of water.

Monsoon rains, which start in June and continue through to September, are important for farm-dependent Nepal, but they also cause havoc each year. </s> KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Police in Nepal say flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall have killed at least 43 people in the past few days, with more deaths reported across the Himalayan border in India.

At least 24 others are missing in Nepal, either swept by swollen rivers or buried by mudslides since rains began pounding the region Friday. Roads and highways have been blocked in parts of Nepal while communication towers are knocked down.

Rain-triggered floods and mudslides have left a trail of destruction in other parts of South Asia. Officials in northeastern India have reported at least a dozen people dead and over a million affected.

The dead include two schoolchildren who were buried when their boarding school collapsed while they were asleep in Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh state. </s> Floods and landslides triggered by incessant monsoon rains across Nepal have claimed at least 113 lives while 38 people are still missing, officials said Sunday.

Parts of central and southern Nepal including some areas of Kathmandu valley have been inundated due to incessant rains since last two weeks.

At least 113 people were killed and 67 others injured in the rain induced disasters in this monsoon, Home Ministry officials said.

At least 38 people have gone missing in the latest incidents of landslide and floods across Nepal.

The rain induced disasters have affected 67 out of total of 77 districts of the country.

The government has mobilised army and police personnel for rescue works.

With the situation remaining grim, Nepal has appealed to the international agencies for help to prevent the possible water-borne diseases and to ensure proper health services to the tens of thousands of people affected. </s> Floods and landslides triggered by incessant monsoon rains across Nepal have claimed at least 113 lives while 38 people are still missing, officials said today.

Parts of central and southern Nepal including some areas of Kathmandu valley have been inundated due to incessant rains since last two weeks.

At least 113 people were killed and 67 others injured in the rain induced disasters in this monsoon, Home Ministry officials said.

At least 38 people have gone missing in the latest incidents of landslide and floods across Nepal.

The rain induced disasters have affected 67 out of total 77 districts of the country.

The government has mobilised army and police personnel for rescue works.

With the situation remaining grim, Nepal has appealed to the international agencies for help to prevent the possible water-borne diseases and to ensure proper health services to the tens of thousands of people affected.

Get Breaking news, live coverage, and Latest News from India and around the world on NDTV.com. Catch all the Live TV action on NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for latest news and live news updates. </s> Flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains have left more than 30 people dead in Nepal in the past 24 hours, authorities said on Saturday.

Ten more people were missing and the number of dead looked set to climb as large parts of the country were under water, officials said.

Rescue teams of soldiers, police and local people have been deployed to help those trapped on rooftops or on higher ground, officials added, as TV pictures showed damaged roads and bridges.

Weather experts said more rain was expected overnight and the government has told residents to remain alert. The Koshi river in the south of the country - a main waterway - was above the danger level, authorities warned.

Monsoon rains from June to September are important for farm-dependent Nepal, but they also cause havoc each year.

"It has left extensive damage," Dipak Kafle, a spokesman for Nepal's Home Ministry, told Reuters. He said there was no estimate yet for property losses.

"We have more than 30 people confirmed dead. But we are more focused on rescuing those who are alive than collecting details about the dead," he said, indicating the death toll could go up.



In the eastern city of Biratnagar an airport runway was under two feet of water, TV footage showed, leading to a suspension of flights. Highways were either damaged or inundated, disrupting transport, police said.

Local officials have opened temporary shelters for displaced people in schools or public buildings. </s> A Nepali resident walks through floodwaters after the Balkhu River overflowed following monsoon rains at the K...

KATHMANDU: Floods and landslides triggered by incessant monsoon rains across Nepal have claimed at least 113 lives while 38 people are still missing, officials said on Sunday.Parts of central and southern Nepal including some areas of Kathmandu valley have been inundated due to incessant rains since last two weeks.At least 113 people were killed and 67 others injured in the rain induced disasters in this monsoon, home ministry officials said.The rain induced disasters have affected 67 out of total 77 districts of the country.The government has mobilised army and police personnel for rescue works.With the situation remaining grim, Nepal has appealed to the international agencies for help to prevent the possible water-borne diseases and to ensure proper health services to the tens of thousands of people affected. </s> At least 25 dead in Nepal landslides, floods

A rescue team from the Armed Police Force stands near damaged houses in the landslide area in Sindhupalchowk district in this file picture. Floods and landslides caused by torrential monsoon rains have killed at least 25 people in the last two days across Nepal. — Reuters pic KATHMANDU, Aug 12 — Floods and landslides caused by torrential monsoon rains have killed at least 25 people in the last two days across Nepal, officials said today.

Heavy rains have hit more than a dozen districts in the country’s far eastern region as well as some areas in the west since yesterday morning, the home ministry said.

Flooding has occurred across the densely populated lowlands that border India, while some remote districts in the hilly areas of the far east have been hit by landslides triggered by the monsoon rains.

“We are still collecting the details of the loss. According to the preliminary reports to the ministry over 25 people are feared dead,” Home Ministry spokesman Deepak Kafle told AFP.

The Prime Minister’s office issued a statement putting the death toll at more than two dozen since yesterday.

Thirteen people died in eastern districts and at least four others are missing, the head of the region’s police Ramesh Bhattarai said.

Telephone and electricity lines have also been affected by the heavy downpour making it difficult to confirm the full extent of the damage in remote areas, the police chief added.

Roads across the southern plains have been blocked by the rains and three highway bridges collapsed in western Banke district, Home Minister Janardan Sharma said at a press conference.

Images on social media showed the runway at Biratnagar airport in eastern Morang district submerged in a metre (three feet) of water with an empty plane stranded on the tarmac.

Chief of Morang district police Arun BC said that airport had been shut due to the flooding.

The most recent deaths bring the total death toll from this year’s monsoon to over 90, according to government figures. Nearly 100 people died last year in Nepal during the rainy season, which typically begins in late June and lasts until the end of August.

Last weekend in the central lowlands, four girls from the same family drowned when they fell into a flooded roadside ditch.

Another girl died and one was injured when they fell in open drains that had been submerged by monsoon flooding in the Kathmandu Valley last month.

Footage shot by a bystander shows one of the girls tentatively navigating a flooded road, before suddenly disappearing into the brown muddy water. A few seconds later she appears out of another drain about 10 metres away.

The video went viral on social media in Nepal, sparking outrage over the condition of the roads in the capital.

Nepal’s weather department issued an alert today warning that heavy rains were expected to continue for another day, and advised districts to close schools and residents to stay indoors. — AFP </s> Floods and landslides triggered by incessant monsoon rains across Nepal have claimed at least 113 lives while 38 people are still missing, officials said on Sunday. Parts of central and southern Nepal including some areas of Kathmandu valley have been inundated due to incessant rains since last two weeks.

At least 113 people were killed and 67 others injured in the rain-induced disasters in this monsoon, Home Ministry officials said.

At least 38 people have gone missing in the latest incidents of landslide and floods across Nepal.

The rain-induced disasters have affected 67 out of a total of 77 districts of the country.

The government has mobilised army and police personnel for rescue works.

With the situation remaining grim, Nepal has appealed to the international agencies for help to prevent the possible water-borne diseases and to ensure proper health services to the tens of thousands of people affected.

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Flooding in Nepal leaves at least 36 dead and dozens more missing.