The village of Lidi in central Nepal after a landslide occurred, burying dozens of homes and killing at least 18 people.

Officials said 21 people were still missing after unusually heavy rain caused the hill to slip in the early hours of Friday, reported news agency Xinhua. The rescue operation, involving soldiers, police officers, paramilitaries and residents continued yesterday.

Sindhupalchok district, which includes Lidi, sees frequent landslides. According to The New York Times, it was one of the worst-hit areas in the April 2015 earthquake that killed over 8,700 people in Nepal. Of those deaths, 3,440 were in Sindhupalchok.

Some of the 37 homes lost in Friday's landslide had been rebuilt after the 2015 quake.

Residents were relocated over concerns that another landslide could occur. "A nearby hill has also remained split open and there are 25 houses below that hill," Sindhupalchowk's district police chief Prajwol Maharjan told Xinhua.

Nepal's remote, hilly regions are often plagued by landslides during the monsoon season from June to September. But officials said the rainfall and the landslide death toll so far this season have been unprecedented. Nearly 200 people are known to have died this year, with over 40 missing, said NYT.