Fourteen killed after massive monsoon storms slash through Nepal

At least 14 people have been killed in Nepal as a result of deadly landslides, lightning and flooding after massive torrential monsoon storms lashed the country, a disaster official said Thursday.

Monsoon rains from June to September bring widespread death and destruction every year across South Asia, but the numbers of fatal floods and landslides have increased in recent years, AFP reported.

According to experts, climate change and increased road construction are exacerbating the problem.

Dijan Bhattarai, a spokesman at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, told AFP that among those killed on Wednesday were four people, including two children. 

He further explained that the four victims were buried alive when three homes were swept away in a landslide in Lamjung district, west of Kathmandu.

Other landslides killed four more people, while five people died after being struck by lightning, the disaster official said.

One more person drowned in floods, he said.

Additionally, six others have died in floods since the monsoon began this month.