At least 60 missing in Nepal after two buses swept into a river

Rescuers in Nepal continued their search on Friday for survivors after two buses were swept off a key highway into the Trishuli River in the early hours of the morning.

At least 60 people are missing, while three others who swam to safety and are being treated in a nearby hospital.

The buses were travelling on a highway connecting the capital to southern parts of Nepal when they were swept away near Simaltal, about 120 kilometres west of Kathmandu, police said.

The authorities have mobilised the army and police to help with the search, but by late morning, they had still not located the vehicles.

Torrential monsoon downpours in the past few days have swollen the waterways and turned their waters brown, making it even more difficult to see the wreckage.

Rescue efforts are also being hampered by continuous rain and more landslides.

A third bus was hit by another landslide on Friday morning a short distance away on the same highway. The driver was killed but it was not clear if there were any other casualties.

Meanwhile, a family of seven died on Thursday night after a landslide buried their hut near the resort town of Pokhara.

The family was asleep when the landslide crushed their home and damaged three nearby house.

Other landslides have blocked routes to the area in several places.

Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said he was saddened by the news and expressed concern over recent flooding and landslides.

Nearly 100 people have been killed since mid-June as torrential monsoon rains trigger landslides and flooding in the mountainous country.