KATHMANDU, 15 July 2007 (IRIN) - Rescue teams have been struggling to access villages hit by landslides in the remote hill areas of western Nepal, according to government and Red Cross officials.

Torrential rainfall since 14 July was particularly heavy in Baglung and Bajura districts, killing at least 26 people, destroying many houses and displacing a large number of villagers, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said.

Although there is no accurate information on how many people have been displaced or affected by the landslides, officials believe the impact is significantly large.

"Rescue teams are still unable to contact us due to a lack of telephone lines and other communication means," Sanjeev Kafle, director of the Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS), told IRIN on 15 July. NRCS is the leading NGO involved in providing humanitarian relief and support to victims of natural disasters in the country.

Kafle said that rescue teams were on their way to the Gywalichour and Jaljala Village Development Committees (VDCs) of Baglung district, where 21 people were killed. With no roads in the mountainous terrain, rescuers had to walk to the villages with porters carrying food supplies and clothes, said government officials.

According to the home affairs ministry, five deaths have been reported in the Brahmatola VDC and rescuers are reportedly having difficulties reaching the area, which is about a six-day walk from end of the road in Bajura.

Lack of communication

"We still cannot estimate how many people need assistance. This information will only be available tomorrow," said Kafle.

"We are waiting for our teams to arrive soon so that we can have an accurate estimation of the number of victims, so as to prepare ourselves for sufficient and quick emergency relief for the victims and the families of the dead," said Risi Silwal, an official from NRCS.

NRCS officials said the worst-hit areas were the remote villages of Bajura, which already had food shortage problems. With the recent landslide destroying farms and food stocks there, aid workers are anxious to get there as soon as possible

There is concern among the government and NRCS officials that the death toll could increase given that many of the dead are still lying under debris, which has been difficult to clear due to the continuing rainfall.

Officials said additional assistance is being provided by the police and army and former Maoist rebel cadres. While the army has provided helicopters, the Maoists have been walking to villages with relief materials.

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