About half a dozen villages in Kaski have been devastated with many houses swept away. The casualties—30—may rise as rescuers fear some are still buried under the debris.

Our correspondent in Kaski said 23 people, including seven of a family, died while six others went missing at Majhgaun in Lumle-6.

The casualty was high as a water tank with the capacity of 20,000 litres was swept just above the settlement. Ten houses were buried. Local people and security personnel rescued three people immediately after the disaster.

At Bhadauretamagi-5 in Kaski, five persons were buried alive when a landslide swept away 10 houses. They had climbed to higher places after the Harpankhola flooded the settlement.

At Dhikurpokhari-9, two persons died when a house collapsed following torrential rains.

In Myagdi, two persons died and five others are missing in massive

landslide at Mudi Village Development Committee. Rescue works have been difficult due to the incessant rain, said police. More than 350 cattle died when four sheds were crushed.

Our correspondent in Baglung said that an elderly man died when a landslide damaged a house at Rayadanda-9. The body was pulled out on Thursday morning.

The Pokhara-Baglung road was obstructed as landslides hit the stretch at more than 10 places. The meteorological stations in Lumle and Pokhara recorded rains at 288.4 and 116.6 millimetres in the past 24 hours until Thursday evening.

According to Laxmi Dhakal, spokesperson for the Ministry of Home Affairs, personnel from the Nepal Army and Nepal Police have been rescuing people since Wednesday morning. Fifteen villagers from various places in Kaski are receiving care at the Western Regional Hospital in Pokhara.

In Chitwan, six-year-old Aruna Chepang died when a landslide buried a house belonging to Hari Bahadur Chepang in Siddi-7 on Wednesday night.

Dilliram Chepang, a local, said other family members survived the incident as they were able to flee.  “Twenty-five families have fled in fear of landslides,” Dilliram told the Post over telephone.

In Chitwan’s Kaule VDC-6, Shukra Bahadur Chepang went missing after being swept by a rain-swollen Chaijibung stream. Another report from Makwanpur said heavy rains since Wednesday afternoon caused landslides along Tribhuvan Highway on the Hetauda-Bhainse section, obstructing the traffic for 16 hours. Traffic resumed at 9am on Thursday after the landslide was cleared.

“Rainfall will pick up from Thursday afternoon in many western and far-western and some central districts. The impact will be high especially in hill and Mountain districts in the West and the Centre,” said Subash Rimal, a meteorologist at the Meteorological Forecasting Division. Moderate to heavy rains are expected to continue in the western hill and Mountain districts for at least next two days.

(With inputs from our correspondents in Kaski, Myagdi, Chitwan, Baglung and Makwanpur districts)