Kathmandu, Sept. 2 -- Political parties have called for a unified response to the devastation caused by the Bhotekoshi floods, while opposition leaders have criticised the government over delays in rescuing people believed trapped inside hydropower tunnels.

Speaking in the House on Wednesday, Nepali Communist Party coordinator and former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal called for a broad national mobilisation to respond to the disaster, saying security forces alone could not handle the scale of the crisis.

"All levels of government, elected representatives, civil society and the public must be mobilised to confront the Bhotekoshi disaster," Dahal said. He urged the government to correct any shortcomings in the search and rescue effort...