At least 47 people were killed in a landslide triggered by monsoon that hit six villages in Nepal's eastern district of Taplejung.
The devastating landslide struck six villages of a remote hilly district after an incessant rainfall that arrived on Wednesday evening and continued until Thursday morning, according to Republica.
"The landslide hit the villages in Taplejung district at night when people were sleeping," Taplejung district administrator Surendra Bhattarai told Republica.
Several people are still missing and the death toll is likely to rise as more bodies are discovered in the debris.
"As of now, people have recovered the bodies of 16 people and they told us that 50 others have perished in the landslide," Bhattarai said according to IBTimes.
District officials said continuous rainfall and flash floods in the streams have hampered rescue and recovery efforts, reported eKantipur. The affected villages are located in a remote mountainous terrain and it takes at least nine hours to reach the place.
An army helicopter has not been able to reach affected district due to bad weather. Bhattarai, however, said that they are working to send helicopter to rescue the injured.
"A police team deployed at the site was stranded due to landslide. The number of deceased might increase as the dozen of houses were flooded by the landslide," local police official Shanti Raj Koirala said, according to ekantipur.
Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koiral said that he already asked for prompt recovery and relief work at the affected sites, , reported The Himalayan Times.
"Condolences to the family of deceased in Taplejung landslide. Wish speedy recovery of injured. Have asked for prompt recovery and relief," Prime Minister Sushil Koirala tweeted on Thursday.
The deadly landslide came at a time when South Asian nation is struggling to recover from two major earthquakes and following aftershocks that killed around 9,000 people.
Hundreds of people die in Nepal each year due to landslides and floods during Monsoon season from early June the end of September.
