Death toll in floods, landslides rises to 73 in Nepal

Kathmandu, July 28 (IANS) The death toll in floods and landslides over the last three days in Nepal has risen to 73 and the number of people missing has increased to 15, a government official told Efe news on Thursday.

Home Affairs Ministry spokesperson Yadav Koirala said seven people died on Thursday, and admitted that the toll could soon climb further despite search and rescue efforts being underway.

"Over 30 people have been injured while 76 houses have sustained permanent damage," Koirala added.

Pyunthan, located 400 km to the west of Kathmandu, is the worst-affected district, where 34 people have lost their lives and another six remain missing, Koirala said.

Emergency teams have rescued more than a hundred people, while the number of those displaced by the floods and landslides remains unknown.

Nepal's Central Natural Disaster Relief Committee has sought some $7 million from the government for relief efforts in the affected regions.

Every year, heavy rainfall causes hundreds of deaths in the Himalayan country; this year's monsoon rains, being particularly severe, could lead to a higher-than-usual death toll, the Home Affairs Ministry said.