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A Pakistani military helicopter carrying a senior commander and five others crashed on a mountain during a flood relief operation and all on board were killed, the military and police said on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

The army aviation helicopter, which was helping with flood relief work in Balochistan province, lost contact with air traffic control on Monday.

"The accident occurred due to bad weather," the military said in a statement.

The wreckage was found on a mountain in Lasbela district, senior provincial police officer Pervez Umrani told Reuters.

The commander of the south Pakistan-based 12 Corps, Lieutenant General Sarfraz Ali, was among those killed, the military said, according to Reuters.

Southern Pakistan has been hit hard by floods after unusually heavy monsoon rains. Scores of people have been killed and hundreds of homes have been swept away.

Nepal reported 814 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 2, 762 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 509 returned positive. Likewise, 2, 653 people underwent antigen tests, of which 305 were tested positive.

The Ministry said that no one died of the virus in the last 24 hours.

As of today, there are 5, 144 active cases in the country.

Two school buildings, one police post and 475 houses suffered damages so far when a magnitude six earthquake hit Khotang on Sunday.

According to the District Disaster Management Office, a house was completely destroyed while other houses suffered cracks. Similarly, the earthquake destroyed four-room building of Thurpurdanda secondary school at Kepilasgadhi rural municipality-5, a four-room building of Surkedanda secondary school at Diktel Rupakot Majhuwagadhi rural municipality-3, a police post building at Kepilasgadhi-2, said the District Administration Office.

A house belonging to Tej Bahadur Nepali of Halesi Tuwachung municipality-5 was completely damaged by the earthquake. Chairperson of Sakela rural municipality, Rabi Prakash Rai, shared that 464 houses at Sakela rural municipality, the epicentre of the earthquake, suffered damages so far.

A total of 134 houses at Banjhechyandanda, 88 houses at Ratanchha, 57 houses at Khidima, 105 at Mattim and 80 at Mattimbirta were damaged in the earthquake, he added.

The temblor has damaged six houses at different wards of Diktel Rupakot Majhuwagadhi municipality, one house each at Mahadevsthan and Salle of Halesi Tuwachung municipality, two houses at Khotehang rural municipality and one house at Rawabensi rural municipality, informed Surya Prasad Sedhai, the Chief District Officer and Coordinator of the District Disaster Management Committee.

"The local levels continue to report the damage caused by the earthquake as well as by floods and landslide. All the 10 local levels in the district have been urged to provide within three days information on the damage caused by the earthquake," he said, adding that it seems it will take longer to get the exact information as heavy rainfall is taking place in the district.

The National Earthquake Measurement Centre has stated that it is the most powerful earthquake to occur in the country so far after the April 24, 2015 Gorkha Earthquake. The epicentre of the Khotang earthquake was at Sakela rural municipality which borders with Diktel bazaar, the major trade centre of the district.

The people are in fear of more temblors like the last one. Although no human casualties occurred due to the latest earthquake in the district so far, aftershocks continue and the general public has been urged to adopt precaution, CDO Sedhai said.

According to him, the Nepali Army, Police and Disaster Management and Rescue team have been kept in ready position for mobilising the moment information about the disaster is received.

Halesi Tuwachung municipality has written to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) for assessing the damage. Mayor Bimala Rai said that immediately after the earthquake they have written a letter to the NDRRMA, Ministry of Home Affairs, for conducting an integrated disaster vulnerability assessment.

The rest of the local levels in the district too have started collecting information about the damages caused by the earthquake in their respective areas. The Disaster Management Committees have been formed at all the 10 local levels in the district for the rescue, relief and management whenever a disaster occurs.

The water level has risen in Saptakoshi river following incessant rainfall.

Following the rise in water level, the authorities have put the red lights on and also hoisted red flags.

Chief District Officer of Sunsari Indradev Yadav said that the water flow in the river was measured at 229, 810 cusec on Tuesday morning.

The authorities have opened 33 out of 56 doors of the Saptakoshi barrage after the water level in the river crossed the danger level today, he said.

It is considered as dangerous after the water level crosses 150, 000 cusec in the river.

Arable lands and human settlements have been inundated after the concerned authorities did not open all the gates off Koshi Barrage which is under the control of the Indian government.

The water level in the river has been rising continuously in the river since Monday, Chief District Officer Yadav said.