Villages buried in deadly Nepal landslide!
Taplejung landslides kill 47
At least six villages -- Liwang, Thokling, Thinglabu, Khalung , Khokling and Lingket -- were affected by the landslips.
The number of casualties may rise. Continuous rains and flash floods in the streams have hampered rescue efforts, police said.
Helicopters of the Nepali Army from Kathmandu have not been able to reach the affected site due to bad weather. Locals and police personnel are involved in the rescue work.
Only two of the injured have been ferried to the district hospital. The remaining are yet to receive medical treatment.
At least 47 people were killed and 80 injured when a landslide swept away a number of villages of Taplejung district in Nepal, officials said.
Many more were reported missing in the disaster on Wednesday evening. Police said 16 bodies had been recovered.
The affected regions are located in a remote area from the district headquarter, Myaglung, and it takes at least nine hours to reach the spot.
"As of now, people have recovered the bodies of 16 people and they told us that 50 others have perished in the landslide," said Surendra Prasad Bhattarai, assistant chief district officer of Taplejung.
Media reports from Nepal says that the death toll from landslides that buried dozens of houses in different villages of Taplejung district has reached 47 so far.
The landslides have hit Lingtep village the hardest, killing 20 people and 10 of them are from a single family. Santa Hang Limbu and his nine family members were killed when their house was buried under the debris.
Five more bodies from Thinglabu, two from Khokling and three from Santhakra have been revered so far.
The death toll could go higher as many are still reported to be missing, say police.
Landslides occurred simultaneously in Libang, Thokling, Tinglabu and Lingket villages of Taplejung following a cloudburst in the eastern hills. Meteorological Forecasting Division (MFD) has recorded 129 mm rainfall in a period of 24 hours on Wednesday.
Police say they are finding it difficult to rescue people as rains have caused water level to rise in rivers and rivulets. A rescue helicopter flew to Taplejung from Kathmandu but could not land in any of the landslides-hit villages due to adverse weather. Police and locals are digging the landslide debris to recover bodies.
A landslide in Myangkhama village of Taplejung has also blocked part of the Mechi Highway, making it difficult for additional rescue teams to arrive in the district.