‘No chance’ of finding 150 buried in landslide

There is no chance of finding any of the more than 150 people who are believed to have been buried by a massive landslide in northern Nepal, an official said yesterday, as rescuers struggled to dig through piles of rock, mud, and trees.

Rescuers have so far recovered only eight bodies since the landslide early on Saturday blocked a mountain river, causing the water to form a lake that was threatening to burst and sweep several villages. Fresh rainfall yesterday hampered search attempts.

“We have no chance of finding any of the missing people alive under this pile of debris,” said Yadav Prasad Koirala, who heads the government’s Department of Natural Disaster Management. “We have names of 159 people who are believed to be missing and buried, but there could be even more people.”