Soldiers clear Nepal mountain way to rescue villagers

Soldiers cleared snow from a key mountain highway in northwest Nepal, rescuing hundreds of people stranded by the snowfall, officials said Monday. The Mahakali Highway, which connects northwestern Nepal with the rest of the country, had been blocked by heavy snow since last week.

Soldiers were able to clear the highway over the weekend and traffic started moving again early Monday, said Pashupati Sharma, chief administrative officer in the region. Hundreds of people had been stranded by the snow, either in their village homes or on the highway in the area, about 600 kilometers (375 miles) northeast of the capital, Katmandu.

Several buses and trucks were reported stuck on the highway in the snowfall, reported to be the heaviest in 40 years. Parts of the region had up to 1 meter (3 feet) of snow, reports the AP. I.L.