Landslides, lightning and floods caused by heavy rains have killed at least 47 people in Nepal, and 12 are missing, the Associated Press reported, quoted by dariknews.bg.
The worst affected areas are in the mountainous eastern district of Ilam, where landslides have swept away several villages. According to police spokesman Binod Ghimire, at least 18 people have died and seven are still being sought.
The heavy rains are hampering rescue operations, as many roads have been washed away or buried by mudslides. A local government official said the central government had to send helicopters to evacuate the victims. Separately, three people were killed in another area after being struck by lightning, and one person died in flooding in the southern part of the country.
Authorities have rescued 114 people. The Nepalese government has issued a warning of dangerous rainfall in the eastern and central regions of the country from Saturday to Monday and has temporarily closed major roads. All domestic flights were suspended yesterday due to bad weather and poor visibility, with air traffic partially restored today.
The road closures coincided with hundreds of thousands of Nepalese returning to Kathmandu after celebrating Dashain, the biggest festival in the Himalayan country. The main day of the two-week festival was on Thursday, when people traditionally travel to their hometowns to be with their families.