10 killed, 60 missing in glacial lake burst in Nepal

The army and police officials said so far 10 bodies have been recovered from the banks of the swollen river. "The waters have risen so high that they are touching bridges," they said. Official said though the bodies were badly scarred and swollen, most of them appeared to be of local villagers.

Army spokesman Ramindra Chhetri said army helicopters and rescue teams had been rushed to the spot and five people buried under deluge were rescued. He said the fury of the river waters had also swept away trucks and buses. Fast-flowing floodwaters from the swollen Seti River smashed into two buildings and a number of shacks in Kharapani village, in the shadow of Mt Annapurna.

Though incidents of glacial Himalayan lake burst have been reported from parts of Tibet in China, this is the first such major tragedy in Nepal. Nepalese experts have warned of such catastrophic happenings triggered by climatic change and melting glaciers. Chhetri said sixty people were still missing, including three Russian tourists who were part of a trekking team. The names of the Russians were immediately known.