As many as 66 people were believed missing in Nepal after two buses were swept by a landslide off the highway and into a swollen river early Friday, officials said. Landslides elsewhere in the mountainous country killed at least 10 people.
Rescuers were trying to locate the buses but the continuous rain was making rescue efforts difficult.
The buses were swept off the highway around 3 a.m. near Simaltal, about 120 kilometers west of the capital, Kathmandu.
One bus had 24 people while the other had 42 but more could have boarded on their routes, government administrator Khima Nanada Bhusal said.
On the same highway and in a nearby location, a bus was knocked by a landslide, killing the driver. It was not clear if there were any other casualties, he said.
In Kaski district, 150 kilometers west of the capital, 10 people were killed when landslides washed away three houses, police spokesman Dan Bahadur Karki said.
In a social media post on Friday, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal expressed sadness over the disasters and instructed government agencies to conduct effective search and rescue operations.
Dozens have died in the Himalayan nation since the middle of June as torrential monsoon rains triggered landslides and flooding.
