25 killed, hundreds injured by rainstorm in southern Nepal

A rainstorm swept through southern Nepal on Sunday, leaving at least 25 people dead and hundreds more injured, officials said.

Nepal’s Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli in a Twitter message said he received a report of 25 people killed and 400 injured.

He said security forces have been alerted. Rescue and helicopters with night vision capabilities were waiting for the weather to clear to help bring the injured from the villages.

Government administrator Rajesh Poudel said the number of deaths would likely increase as the storm had hit many villages in the Bara district, located about 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of the capital, Kathmandu.

He said police and army rescuers were fanned around the district trying to reach the villages, but rescue efforts were difficult at night.

The injured were being brought to a hospital by cars and ambulances, but roads in many villages had been blocked by fallen trees and electricity poles.

Poudel said most of the deaths and injuries were because of flying objects, falling huts and trees. Most people in the district are farmers.