Kathmandu, Jul 21 (PTI) At least nine people, including two children, were killed in landslides triggered by incessant rains in Nepal, home ministry officials said here on Tuesday.

Two children below the age of five were buried alive under a landslide in Tokha municipality, 12 km north of Kathmandu on Tuesday morning, they said.

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Similar incidents were also reported in the last 24 hours from other parts of the country.

While three deaths each were reported from Dhading and Darchula districts, one person died in Nawalparasi district, National Emergency Operation Centre chief Murari Basti said.

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Several landslides along the Prithvi and Siddhartha highways either blocked the roads or damaged their portions, disrupting transportation service.

While Prithvi highway is the main road connecting Nepal's capital to most of the Himalayan nation, Siddhartha highway is a major route that connects the Terai region in south with the mountain region in north.

At least 23 people died and several others went missing in various districts across the country in the past five days as landslides and flood triggered by heavy monsoon rains hit parts of Nepal.

Search and rescue operations are being carried out by Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and Nepal Army personnel with the help of local activists, the officials said.

Ten army helicopters are deployed in Itahari, Chitawan, Kathmandu, Pokhara and Surkhet for conducting emergency rescue and relief works.

Twenty districts have been affected by the landslides and flood.

The home ministry has issued alert in all the seven provinces of the country.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)