Death toll reaches 150 as rains lash India-Nepal, trigger floods and landslides

Flooding killed more than 150 people in India and Nepal, authorities said Thursday, as abnormally high rains throughout the region caused flash floods in numerous regions, stranding families and damaging houses and infrastructure.

The north Indian state of Uttarakhand has been particularly hard struck, with 48 confirmed deaths, according to SA Murugesan, secretary of the state's disaster management department.

The town's major lake breached its banks in Nainital, a renowned tourist destination in the Himalayan state, drowning the main highway and destroying bridges and train tracks.

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Rescuers from India's paramilitary National Disaster Response Force were evacuating inhabitants from landslide-affected villages.

Amit Shah, India's federal interior minister, is scheduled to tour impacted districts on Thursday.

According to a statement from the chief minister's office, 42 persons have died in the last week in the southern Indian state of Kerala.

At least 77 individuals have perished in neighbouring Nepal.

The yearly monsoon rains in India typically last from June to September.

Twelve people, including four Slovenian tourists and three guides, are stuck in Nakhla, Humla district, 700 kilometres west of Kathmandu, when severe snowfall closed the road at Limi.

They were returning to Simikot after finishing their hiking excursion at Limi, according to Humla Chief District Officer Ganesh Acharya.

Snowfall began in the area on Sunday, and rescue operations were halted on Wednesday owing to inclement weather.

According to authorities, the local government has requested a helicopter from the home ministry to take out the rescue mission.

(With inputs from agencies)