• National
  • Politics
  • Valley
  • Opinion
  • Money
  • Sports
  • Culture & Lifestyle

  • National
    • Madhesh Province
    • Lumbini Province
    • Bagmati Province
    • National Security
    • Koshi Province
    • Gandaki Province
    • Karnali Province
    • Sudurpaschim Province
  • Politics
  • Valley
    • Kathmandu
    • Lalitpur
    • Bhaktapur
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • As it is
    • Letters
    • Editorial
    • Cartoon
  • Money
  • Sports
    • Cricket
    • Football
    • International Sports
  • Culture & Lifestyle
    • Arts
    • Brunch with the Post
    • Movies
    • Life & Style
    • Theater
    • Entertainment
    • Books
    • Fashion
  • Health
  • Food
    • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Investigations
  • Climate & Environment
  • World
  • Science & Technology
  • Interviews
  • Visual Stories
  • Crosswords & Sudoku
  • Horoscope
  • Forex
  • Corrections
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Today's ePaper
Sunday, July 27, 2025

Without Fear or FavourUNWIND IN STYLE

26.42°C Kathmandu
Air Quality in Kathmandu: 55
300+Hazardous
0-50Good
51-100Moderate
101-150Unhealty for Sensitive Groups
151-200Unhealthy
201-300Very Unhealthy
Sun, Jul 27, 2025
26.42°C Kathmandu
Air Quality in Kathmandu: 55
  • What's News :

  • Open-air jet repair
  • Nepal’s para-fighters
  • Court intervention in lawmaking
  • Temporary bridge at Rasuwagadhi
  • Customs offices merge

Bagmati Province

Massive landslide in Sindhupalchok kills 11 people

Twenty villagers have gone missing in Sunday morning’s tragedy, said police. Massive landslide in Sindhupalchok kills 11 people
The landslide swept away 22 houses and emptied in the Bhotekoshi river some three kilometres below. Anish Tiwari/TKP
bookmark
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • Whatsapp
  • mail
Anish Tiwari
Published at : September 13, 2020
Updated at : September 13, 2020 21:53
Sindhupalchok

At least 11 people died and 20 others have gone missing when a landslide caused by heavy rainfall struck Ghumthang in Bahrabise Municipality Ward No 7, Sindhupalchok, on Sunday.

The massive landslide erupted from a fragile landmass—weakened by the 2015 earthquake and its powerful aftershocks—above Ghumthang village and swept away Bhirkharka, Nagpuje and Dandagaun settlements at around 3:30 am. The landslide swept away 22 houses and emptied in the Bhotekoshi river some three kilometres below. The area had been witnessing incessant rainfall since Saturday evening.

"We never thought such a massive landslide would occur," said Surya Bahadur Khadka, 70, of Ghumthang. “We knew the landmass had weakened after the earthquakes in 2015 but neither the local government nor the villagers took the threat seriously.”

Security personnel from the Area Police Office in Bahrabise, with the help of locals, rescued the victims who were trapped in the landslide debris.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Prakash Sapkota, security personnel have recovered 11 bodies so far while the search for the missing victims is underway. He said nine bodies were recovered from the incident site while one each was found in the Sunkoshi and Bhotekoshi rivers.

Six villagers were injured in the landslide. They were taken to Sindhu Sadabahar Hospital in Khandichaur. One of the injured villagers who was in a critical condition has been referred to Kathmandu for treatment, said police.

According to locals, there is a rivulet near the settlements named Taksare khola, which is often flooded during the rainy season and is prone to dry landslides during winter.

“The debris from a dry landslide last year had accumulated in the rivulet which was swept into the settlements by the heavy rainfall last night,” said Khadka of Ghumthang.

There are around 200 houses at Bhirkharka, Nagpure and Newar Tol settlements in Ghumthang village. The locals had sensed the risk of landslide at Nagpuje settlement and had informed the people's representatives about it.

"The villagers had informed the people's representatives but they didn’t do anything about it. The tragedy could have been averted if they had paid attention to the locals," said Sun Kumari Tamang, who was preparing to shift to a safe location after she lost her house to the landslide on Sunday.

According to Min Bahadur Shrestha, the chairman of Ward No. 7 of the local unit, the people's representatives had held a discussion a week ago about a possible landslide threat in the Nagpuje area and had informed the district administration office and the district office of National Reconstruction Authority.

"We urged the authorities repeatedly to address the issue but the National Reconstruction Authority did not listen to us. We were tired of requesting them," said Shrestha. According to him, as many as 58 families have shifted to the lower region of the settlement where the threat of landslides is minimal. “The displaced families are living in tents right now. Some of them are taking shelter in their relatives’ houses.”

Sindhupalchok continues to get battered by natural disasters this year. In August, a massive landslide had struck Lidi village, destroying 17 houses and damaging 37 others. As many as 39 villagers perished and 135 families were displaced in the disaster.

 Anish Tiwari/TKP
 Anish Tiwari/TKP
 Anish Tiwari/TKP

Anish Tiwari

Anish Tiwari is the Sindhupalchok correspondent for Kantipur Publications.


Related News

Former Gandaki Province chief Prithviman Gurung passes away
Congress rift deepens in Bagmati as four ministers quit
Unregulated quarrying fuels fear in flood-ravaged Bethanchok
Indian pilgrim hacked to death in Sindhuli temple dispute
BP Highway reopens for traffic after landslides cleared
Timure remains out of road connection

Most Read from Bagmati Province

Timure remains out of road connection
Unregulated quarrying fuels fear in flood-ravaged Bethanchok
Indian pilgrim hacked to death in Sindhuli temple dispute
Congress rift deepens in Bagmati as four ministers quit
BP Highway reopens for traffic after landslides cleared

Editor's Picks

Kailash pilgrims breathe new life into Nepal’s mountain economy
Pressure groups are dictating lawmaking
Indians paying by QR in Nepal for a year but Nepalis still lack access in India
UML weighs binning age, term limits amid Oli-Bhandari rivalry
Law in the works to check officials’ conflict of interest

E-PAPER | July 27, 2025

  • Read ePaper Online
×
ABOUT US
  • About the Post
  • Masthead
  • Editorial Standards & Integrity
  • Workplace Harassment Policy
  • Privacy Policy
READ US
  • Home Delivery
  • ePaper
CONTACT US
  • Write for the Post
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Advertise in the Post
  • Work for the Post
  • Send us a tip
INTERACT WITH US
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
OUR SISTER PUBLICATIONS
  • eKantipur
  • saptahik
  • Nepal
  • Nari
  • Radio Kantipur
  • Kantipur TV
© 2025 www.kathmandupost.com
  • Privacy Policy
Top