KATHMANDU
• Monsoon floods and landslides have killed at least 66 people across Nepal and India, but officials fear that figure could almost double as rescuers search for dozens believed lost under the mud and in submerged villages.

The authorities yesterday upgraded the death toll from flash flooding across landlocked Nepal to 49 as thousands fled for higher ground.

"Another 17 are missing. Search and rescue works are under way but the water levels have not declined yet," said Mr Shankar Hari Acharya, the chief of Nepal's national emergency centre.

The Red Cross estimated a higher death toll of 53, with dozens more missing and injured, and thousands of homes destroyed.

In neighbouring India, rescuers were desperately trying to reach two packed buses swept into a gorge by a landslide.

Seventeen bodies have been recovered from the accident site in the Himalayan state, but dozens were still missing somewhere at the bottom of the ravine.

"Around 200m of national highway washed away with two buses and more than 50 are feared buried," said Indian army spokesman Aman Anand, who was helping coordinate rescue efforts. </s> Kathmandu: The death toll from flooding and other rain-triggered incidents in Nepal climbed to 34 on Saturday with over 24 persons still missing, officials said.

Heavy monsoon rains for the past few days have left many settlements at high risk of floods and landslides in several places in Nepal. Transportation has also been disrupted in all major highways.

Rain-fed rivers have also started to erode embankments putting nearby settlements at high risk of flooding.

Officials said the Kosi River in eastern Nepal, which flows into the eastern Indian state of Bihar, had risen above the danger mark.

The Kosi has been a serious concern for both India and Nepal since it broke its banks in 2008 and changed course, submerging swathes of land and affecting more than two million people in Bihar. About 500 people died in that disaster.

Thirty of the 56 sluice gates at a barrage along the Kosi at the Indo-Nepal border have been opened, and rescue teams deployed to evacuate villagers, officials said

"The rain-triggered disasters have caused havoc across the country," the Nepal Police said in its news bulletin.

Deaths were reported from various districts, including Lalitpur, Kavre, Kotang, Bhojpur and Makanpur.

The death toll has reached 34, authorities said.

Meanwhile, human resources and equipment from police offices have been mobilised in the areas affected by the rain-triggered disasters.

"The works related to rescue operation have been intensified," a senior Home Ministry official said.

It is estimated that around 6,000 people have been badly affected by floodwaters that inundated their houses. </s> Nepal floods, landslides leave at least 49 dead, dozens missing, officials say

Landslides and flooding triggered by heavy rain have killed at least 49 people in southern Nepal and left thousands homeless, officials say.

The toll is expected to rise with three dozen people reported missing. Another 17 were injured.

The heavy rain, which mainly hit the country's southern plains, led to the evacuation of 5,000 people, a Home Ministry official said.

More than 30 people were reported dead on Saturday.

Army and police continued search and rescue operations, with more than 34,000 houses submerged, the official added.

"The number of dead could increase as we are still compiling the final tally," said Laxmi Pun, an aide to Home Minister Janardan Sharma.

The Red Cross estimated 100,000 people were affected by the disaster, with one official describing how the storm had cut off communication and electricity, adding to the challenges in rescuing people and distributing aid.

In the eastern city of Biratnagar, the airport was closed after the runway was submerged under more than half a metre of water.

Monsoon rains, which start in June and continue through to September, are important for farm-dependent Nepal, but they also cause havoc each year. </s> Flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains have left more than 30 people dead in Nepal in the past 24 hours, authorities said on Saturday.

Ten more people were missing and the number of dead looked set to climb as large parts of the country were under water, officials said.

Rescue teams of soldiers, police and local people have been deployed to help those trapped on rooftops or on higher ground, officials added, as TV pictures showed damaged roads and bridges.

Weather experts said more rain was expected overnight and the government has told residents to remain alert. The Koshi river in the south of the country - a main waterway - was above the danger level, authorities warned.

Monsoon rains from June to September are important for farm-dependent Nepal, but they also cause havoc each year.

"It has left extensive damage," Dipak Kafle, a spokesman for Nepal's Home Ministry, told Reuters. He said there was no estimate yet for property losses.

"We have more than 30 people confirmed dead. But we are more focused on rescuing those who are alive than collecting details about the dead," he said, indicating the death toll could go up.



In the eastern city of Biratnagar an airport runway was under two feet of water, TV footage showed, leading to a suspension of flights. Highways were either damaged or inundated, disrupting transport, police said.

Local officials have opened temporary shelters for displaced people in schools or public buildings. </s> KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Police in Nepal say flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall have killed at least 43 people in the past few days, with more deaths reported across the Himalayan border in India.

At least 24 others are missing in Nepal, either swept by swollen rivers or buried by mudslides since rains began pounding the region Friday. Roads and highways have been blocked in parts of Nepal while communication towers are knocked down.

Rain-triggered floods and mudslides have left a trail of destruction in other parts of South Asia. Officials in northeastern India have reported at least a dozen people dead and over a million affected.

The dead include two schoolchildren who were buried when their boarding school collapsed while they were asleep in Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh state.
The death toll of the heavy floods in Nepal rise to 113.