Severe thunderstorm in Nepal leaves 25 dead, hundreds injured

Nepal's Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli said 25 people had been killed, and around 400 were injured in a thunderstorm that swept through southern part of the country late on Sunday.

"Helicopters have been kept ready for immediate rescue and relief," Oli said in his post. He offered condolences to the families of the victims.

Rajesh Paudel, the top bureaucrat of Bara district, where the storm hit, said the death toll may increase as rescue efforts continue.

Bara is located about 62 kilometers (39 miles) south of Kathmandu, and borders India's eastern state of Bihar.

A Nepali family sit next to their damaged houses at Bhaluhi Bharbaliya village in Bara district near Birgunj, April 1, 2019. /VCG Photo

Pre-monsoon thunderstorms are common in Nepal during the spring season but are rarely of an intensity that causes high casualties.

Rescue teams had been dispatched to the affected villages, but reaching the victims was difficult at night, police officer Sanu Ram Bhattarai said.

Television channels said the storm and accompanying heavy rainfall, uprooted trees and telephone poles, crushing some people to death.

(REUTERS)