Floods and landslides lash Nepal, scores dead

Heavy rains triggered flash floods and landslides that killed at least 40 people and displaced thousands in western Nepal, authorities said on Saturday. 

Twenty people were killed and at least 13 others were missing in the Myagdi district alone, said district administrator Gyan Nath Dhakal. 

"Rescuers are looking for those who are still missing in Myagdi," Dhakal said, adding that 50 people had been brought to safety using helicopters. 

In the neighboring Kaski district, rains and floods killed seven people, while seven others were killed in the Jajarkot district.

In the southern plains bordering India, the Koshi river, which causes deadly floods in the Indian state of Bihar almost every year, was flowing above the danger level, police said. 

Monsoon-induced disasters are common in Nepal owing to the country's mountainous topography and dozens of big rivers. Since the beginning of the monsoon season in June, scores of people have lost their lives in floods and landslides. 

The floods in Nepal have put the authorities in Bihar on high alert. 

Last month, more than a million people were forced to flee their homes in the northeastern Indian state of Assam by floods when the Brahmaputra river burst its banks and inundated over 2,000 villages. 

am/srs (dpa, Reuters)