Torrential rains on Tuesday night triggered landslides, blocking the Karnali Highway in Kalikot district.

Police Inspector Poshan Thapa, information officer for the Kalikot District Police Office, said the highway had been blocked at two locations due to landslides. Earthmovers are being deployed to clear the debris.

Thapa said traffic is expected to resume by afternoon once the debris is cleared.

Police said nine landslides have hit the area since the monsoon began. Despite gabion walls installed last year to prevent such incidents, persistent landslides have damaged the structures.

Despite multiple landslides triggered by heavy rains, local transporters have worked tirelessly to clear the Karnali Highway between Kalikot and Jumla. Krishna Khatri, a transporter en route to Surkhet, said he and his team had to shovel away debris at nearly a dozen spots to reach Kalikot.

Local Navaraj Shahi said landslides have occurred in Rengil, Bhattadi, and Bhurabagar along the highway.

He said that the bailey bridge, built by the Nepali Army across the Fugaad River and swept away by a flood two years ago, has made river crossing perilous during heavy rainfall.

“There isn't even a bridge for people to cross,” he said. “We have to risk our lives every time we cross the river.”