Heavy Monsoon Rains Leave 22 Dead In Nepal

KATMANDU, Nepal - Flooding and landslides brought on by two days of heavy monsoon rains in Nepal have left 22 people dead and several more missing, officials said Tuesday.

Home Ministry official Iswor Regmi said the death toll from the rains that began over the weekend could rise as reports pour in from remote villages, some of them several days' walk from the nearest town or telephone.

In the worst incident, at least 13 people were killed in a landslide in Takdoo village early Monday, chief government administrator Talasi Gautam said. He said rescuers were still digging through mud and debris searching for victims.

The village, about 125 miles (200 kilometers) northeast of Katmandu, is at least two days' trek from the district capital, and the continuing rain was making rescue efforts difficult.

Separately, six Hindu pilgrims were swept away while trying to cross the swollen Kamal river in the country's southeast, Regmi said.

He said the other three confirmed deaths were in separate floods or landslides.

Every year, hundreds of people are killed by landslides and flooding during this Himalayan nation's monsoon season.