KATHMANDU (REUTERS) - Nepal is battling its worst forest fires in years, officials said on Friday (April 9), with smoke wafting across its mountains and souring the air as it settles into the bowl that holds capital city Kathmandu.

Five people have died so far trying to put out the fires that have been raging since January, said Mr Sundar Sharma, a senior official of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.