A massive landslide struck northeastern Nepal, feared to have left at least 150 people dead, as rescuers today recovered 14 more bodies buried under tonnes of mud and debris. Mountain officials said more than 500 foreign trekkers and guides were rescued.
Officials said the pre-dawn landslide on Tuesday was triggered by monsoon rains and swept away villages along a river in Sindhupalchok district, with 23 bodies, including six children, pulled from the rubble so far.
District police chief Subodh Ghimire said: “The death toll has now climbed to 23, including 13 women, two men and six children, while two bodies remain unidentified.”
Over 100 soldiers and police using bulldozers and excavators dug through the debris searching for villagers buried under the mud, with about 130 villagers still feared trapped.
Nepali mountain officials said today that a deadly landslide blocked a major highway, stranding foreign tourists in a border town over the weekend, but more than 500 foreign tourists and guides have now been rescued.
The group, mostly Indians and Europeans, were returning to Kathmandu after a mountaineering expedition in Tibet when heavy rains triggered the landslide, blocking the Arniko Highway to Kathmandu. With no way out, they took shelter in the border hot spring town of Tatopani between Nepal and Tibet.
Officials said more than 400 trekkers and guides were airlifted to Kathmandu yesterday, with another 200 evacuated today.
Yog Raj Kandel, an official with the Airlines Operators Association of Nepal, told Reuters: “These trekkers were very worried and anxious. But now they are greatly relieved and feel much better.” 1030804
(Central News Agency)