10 nearby villages were still flooded and several houses washed away.
By JPOST.COM STAFF, APmudslide 88(photo credit: )
A mudslide in Nepal claimed the lives of dozens of people as heavy rains submerged several more, officials said Monday.
The mudslides, caused by heavy monsoon rains, hit the village of Khaptad on Sunday, but details were scarce because the area in western Nepal is a five-hour walk to the nearest telephone, said regional Police Inspector Upendra Purush Timilsena.
Police teams and soldiers reached the village on Monday and were beginning an inspection of the area, Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula said, adding that he was holding an emergency meeting with rescue workers in Katmandu.
Khaptad is some 550 kilometers west of the Nepalese capital Katmandu.
Also, about 10 nearby villages along the Rapti River were flooded and several houses washed away, said Narendra Raj Sharma, chief administrator of the district.
At least six people were killed in the flooding Sunday and hundreds more were out of contact, said Sharma. "We are still trying to acquire details on the losses."
Sharma said a rescue team sent to the area failed to reach it and first contact was made only Monday morning when a helicopter was sent. "We have also requested the Home Ministry to send some rubber boats and other rescue equipment," he said.
Every year monsoon rain kills hundreds of people across South Asia, with people drowning in floods, being crushed by landslides or collapsed houses, or getting electrocuted.
