At least 18 people were killed and several others reported missing after a massive landslide hit Nepal’s Sindhupalchowk district, according to the authorities on Sunday.
A search and rescue operation was ongoing in the affected area, the authorities added.
On Friday, The massive landslide occurred in the district’s Jugal Rural Municipality, also damaged 37 houses in Lidi village.
Among the 18 victims, there were 11 children, four women and three men, Superintendent of Police Prajwol Maharjan, chief of District Police Office, Sindhupalchowk, told Xinhua news agency.
“A nearby hill has also remained split open and there are 25 houses below that hill,” said Maharjan.
Lidi village is one of the settlements identified by the Nepali government as having been in risk of landslide.
According to the National Reconstruction Authority, a government body established to coordinate the reconstruction efforts after the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, the village is on the list of the settlements that needs protection but does not need relocation.
Meanwhile, the police said the local administration of Sindhupalchowk on Saturday wrote to the central government to relocate the entire village after the incident.
In July 2019, heavy rains lashed various parts of Nepal claimed over hundred lives with several reportedly missing and many others injured.
Transportation, electricity and water supply were also disrupted due to floods and landslides in many parts of the country.
The annual monsoon rains, which normally start in June and continue through September often result in casualties in Nepal.
(With inputs from agency)