KATHMANDU, Nepal – Landslides caused by heavy rains buried several mountain villages in Nepal on Thursday, killing at least 30 people, and bad weather was hampering the search for others, authorities said.

Rescuers pulled out 19 bodies after the landslide in the village in Lumle, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) west of Kathmandu, according to the National Emergency Operation Center.

An Associated Press cameraman saw police and army rescuers digging through piles of debris in search of at least 11 more people.

More rain was falling, and helicopters were grounded. The highway linking the village with Pokhara, the main city in the region, was blocked at several places, delaying rescuers.

Another five bodies were recovered in nearby Dudhe village, where two bridges were washed away.

One more person was killed in the neighbouring Baglung district, where the death toll was expected to rise.

There was also report of five others killed in three separate villages bringing Thursday’s death toll from landslides to 30.

Heavy rains during the seasonal monsoon in Nepal often trigger landslides in the mountains and flooding in the southern plains.

The devastating earthquake in April that killed nearly 8,900 people had set off many landslides and officials fear that the heavy rainfall would trigger more.