Landslides, floods kill 66 in Nepal

Landslides and floods induced by incessant rainfalls in Nepal had left 66 people dead and 60 others injured by Saturday evening, reported Xinhua, quoting the home ministry.

Rishiram Tiwari, the ministry's spokesperson, said in a statement that 69 people had gone missing.

"The Kathmandu Valley suffered the highest loss with 34 deaths," Tiwari said, noting that over 3,000 people had been rescued by security forces and the government had decided to provide free treatment to the injured and start a rehabilitation program as early as possible for those who lost their houses.

Several highways and bridges were destroyed in different parts of the country, and clearing the highways is the government's top priority, the spokesperson said.

According to a Nepal police statement, almost all the highways, including those connecting the rest of the country with the capital city of Kathmandu, had been obstructed due to the disasters.

Nepal's Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, meanwhile, urged all the local governments to close the schools for three days starting from Sunday and decided to postpone all the examinations at the university level which had been scheduled until Tuesday.

Nepal has seen more-than-average rainfalls during the monsoon season this year, which started on June 10 and is coming to an end.