Kathmandu: Landslides triggered by heavy rains have killed 17 people in western Nepal in the past 24 hours, official sources said on Saturday. According to reports, landslides occurred in different parts of Achham district of Sudurpaschim province. Incessant rainfall flooded the entire area and rendered hundreds of people homeless. Three people were reported missing. Official sources said that the number of casualties might go up and that the police began to search for the missing persons.
The rainfall and landslides also damaged the Bhimdutta Bridge which connects seven districts in the province, the police said, adding that they were trying to repair the bridge.
Chief district officer Dipesh Rijal said that landslides had claimed the lives of 17 people in the district, about 450 km away from Kathmandu, the capital of the Himalayan nation. The injured were airlifted and rushed to Surkhet district. The administration launched a rescue operation.
