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Landslide in Nepal blocks Kali Gandaki River, threatens flooding

Authorities have urged thousands of residents in western Nepal to evacuate their homes as a lake swells in the blocked river, threatening flash floods.

By Fred Lambert
A landslide on Sunday blocked a river in Nepal's Myagdi district, about 90 miles northwest of Kathmandu, threatening the area with flash floods, according to officials. Image from Google Maps
A landslide on Sunday blocked a river in Nepal's Myagdi district, about 90 miles northwest of Kathmandu, threatening the area with flash floods, according to officials. Image from Google Maps

KATHMANDU, Nepal, May 24 (UPI) -- A landslide has blocked a river in western Nepal, causing waters to swell and threatening flash floods in the surrounding area, officials say.

The landslide occurred midnight Sunday in the Kali Gandaki River, in the country's Myagdi district, 90 miles northwest of Kathmandu.

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No casualties were reported, but water levels on the river have risen up to 600 feet, and authorities have urged residents in the area to evacuate their homes.

Army helicopters are surveying the area as troops have been deployed to siphon the water level down, the BBC reports.

The landslide come just weeks after a 7.9-magnitude earthquake in Nepal killed up to 8,000 people in April, followed by a 7.3-magnitude earthquake that struck the county on May 12.

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