MOSCOW, August 4 (RIA Novosti) - Associated Press reported over 160 people presumably dead after a massive landslide hit the town of Mankha in northern Nepal.
Rescue teams and local villagers used heavy machinery to remove debris and search for survivors. Nineteen deaths have already been confirmed and rescuers claim that there is little hope for those buried under the rubble.
“We have the names of 159 people who are believed to be missing and buried,” - said Yadav Prasad Koirala, head of natural disaster management department, “but there could be even more people.”
The debris from the landslide blocked a mountain river east of Katmandu, forming a lake and threatening to flood several villages. Local authorities have used controlled explosions to ease the water tension, but much of it remains trapped, putting at least 125,000 civilians in Nepalese and Indian villages at risk.
This monsoon season has already carried away the lives of at least 108 people in India, following a landslide last week. A minor landslide hit a different village in Nepal on Monday, with four people reported dead and six others missing. Heavy monsoon rains have caused floods in northern Philippines, and the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported that Super typhoon Halong is expected to hit the southern coast of Japan this coming Wednesday.
