MONSOON RAINS KILL 17 ACROSS NEPAL, BHUTAN

Days of torrential rain have wreaked havoc across parts of Nepal and Bhutan, triggering floods and landslides that have left at least 17 people dead, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.

The death toll reached seven in Nepal on Thursday, with police spokesperson Basanta Bahadur Kunwar telling dpa that rescue teams are still searching for 21 others missing in monsoon-related incidents.

The disasters have mainly affected Nepal's central and western areas near the border with China. Three bodies have been recovered in Sindhupalchok district, which was hit by flooding late Tuesday, according to Baburam Khanal, a local administrator.

"Two of the deceased were Chinese and the third person was an Indian working in local projects," Khanal told dpa. I

n Bhutan, 10 people were swept away earlier this week in Laya as they collected cordyceps, mountainous fungi often used in traditional medicine.

Prime Minister Lotay Tschering offered his "prayers and condolences to the bereaved families" in a Facebook post on Wednesday in which he also urged people to be cautious during monsoon season.

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