16 killed in Nepal floods

At least 16 people were killed and several others went missing in Nepal in floods and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall, officials said Tuesday.

Seven members of a family were killed when their house collapsed due to a landslide in Dailekh district, police said.

In Baitadi district, five members of a family were killed in a landslide, Red Cross officials said.

In Achham district in west Nepal, two people were killed and two injured after a landslide swept away their house.

Two people were killed in Bajhang and Darchula districts, and half a dozen went missing either in floods or were swept away by landslides.

Around 1,500 houses were inundated in Bardiya district by the swollen Karnali river, police said.

Thousands of people have been relocated to open spaces and schools.

Several highways were damaged and many schools forced to shut down, officials said.

Four districts of western Nepal -- Darchula, Baitadi, Dadeldhura and Kanchanpur -- bordering India have been hit hard by floods in Mahakali river.

The Central Natural Disaster Committee headed by Home Minister Madhav Ghimire expressed sorrow over the death of people, and released Rs.10 million for rehabilitation of the affected people.

The department of meteorology said a combo effect of two pre-monsoon systems originating in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea were responsible for heavy rain in some parts of Nepal and India which could last for another couple of days.

Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission has urged the government to extend all necessary help to people stranded during the pilgrimage to Kailash Mansorowar.