Kathmandu, July 16: The death toll from landslides that swept through two mountain villages may be higher than 50, and 100 villagers could be missing, officials said today as police and soldiers dug through muddy debris. "Rescuers are reporting that there could be 100 villagers who are missing," said Min Bahadur Poudel, an official at the Natural Calamity Disaster Management Centre.

The landslides, caused by monsoon rains, swept through Dipsung and Sikundel yesterday. An independent radio station said 50 people had died, but Poudel said the figure could be higher.

The residents of the villages, about 200 kilometres east of Kathmandu were asleep when the slides smashed 20 houses, Poudel said.

Rescuers reached the area by helicopter yesterday evening, but could not begin working until today because of heavy rain, Poudel said. Another team was leaving Kathmandu today with blankets, food and plastic sheeting. Telephone links to the two villages were snapped when Maoist rebels destroyed a telecommunication centre earlier this year. The calamity centre was communicating with the rescue team through police radios.

The villages are situated at least six hours walk away from the nearest town in good weather.

Monsoons trigger landslides and floods that kill hundreds of people in Nepal and other parts of South Asia every year. Bureau Report