Proximate cause is the legally relevant effective cause of a loss used to assess whether insurance responds. It is not necessarily the event nearest in time. Where several causes interact, the policy wording and applicable legal approach determine whether a covered peril or an exclusion controls the outcome.
For a Nepalese hillside property, heavy rain, landslide, and structural weakness could all feature in one incident. Coverage cannot be decided solely from the visible final damage. Preserve reports and photographs, and check how the contract treats concurrent causes, flood, and earthquake-related losses.