Landslides kill 15 after heavy rain in Nepal

At least 15 people were killed and more than a dozen reported missing after heavy rains triggered landslides in northeastern Nepal, a local government official said Thursday.

Surendra Kumar Bhattarai said the landslides, which hit just weeks after twin quakes that killed 8,700 people in the Himalayan nation, swept away a dozen houses in mountainous Taplejung district.

"We have found the bodies of 15 people, and around 15 others have been reported missing. They were said to be inside the destroyed houses," said Bhattarai, the assistant district chief.

"Ten people suffered injuries and police are on the ground helping the wounded," he told AFP.

Scores of people die every year from flooding and landslides during the monsoon season in Nepal.

Taplejung escaped serious damage in the April 25 and May 12 earthquakes, which triggered landslides and destroyed half a million homes, leaving thousands without shelter just weeks ahead of monsoon rains.