At least nine people were killed in Nepal in a landslide and flooding triggered by heavy rains, officials said Sunday. Five people died after a van was swept away by a flooded river in Routahat, 250 kilometers (150 miles) south of the Nepalese capital Katmandu, at midnight Saturday, said Durga Prasad Bhandari, the chief government administrator. Ten people were in the van, which was carrying a wedding party and heading toward Katmandu, Bhandari said. Five of the passengers were rescued by villagers. Separately, four people were buried by a mudslide early Saturday in Sarankot village near the resort town of Pokhara, 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of Katmandu, said Bhola Siwakoti, the chief administrator. Several houses were buried. More than 130 people have been killed by landslides and floods this monsoon season in Nepal, the Associated Press reported.
