'No chance' of finding 159 Nepal landslide victims

Rescuers recovered two more bodies, taking the death toll to 10 from a massive weekend landslide in northern Nepal, but said there was no chance of finding alive any of the more than 150 people believed still buried under the rubble, The Associated Press reported.

Police and army rescuers helped by villagers resumed their search Monday through piles of rock, mud and upturned trees.

Gopal Parajuli, the chief government administrator in the area, said they were using bulldozers and excavators to dig through the debris in some areas.

Rescuers were also trying to carve out temporary roads to reach people stranded on the other side of Arniko highway, a route that connects Katmandu with northern districts and the border with China.

The landslide that struck early Saturday blocked a mountain river, causing it to back up and form a lake that was threatening to burst and sweep away several villages, although Parajuli said the water level was slowly falling.

Officials have, however, ruled out finding anyone alive.