Five family members have gone missing after a landslide buried a house at Tilagufa Municipality-7 in Kalikot district on Sunday.

Dhruvraj Bista, his 35-year-old wife Mamata, 15-year-old son Bharat, 13-year-old son Kripesh and 11-year-old daughter Gyani went missing after their house was washed away by a landslide at around 10:30am, according to the chief of the District Police Office, Jayashwar Rimal.

According to the police, it was difficult to search for the missing persons due to continuous rains for five days. Even though a police team of 8 went to the spot, they were unable to dig through the landslide debris, which contained rocks in significant amounts and was difficult to remove.

According to Rimal, two houses of Dhruvaraj and the neighbour's house were also swept away by the landslide which fell from above the house. Life in Kalikot has been affected by the continuous rain. The Karnali corridor and Karnali Highway are blocked by landslides in several places. Roads have collapsed in many places and houses have been destroyed in Raskot Municipality, Sannitriveni Rural Municipality and Shubhakali Rural Municipality.

Similarly, an elderly woman went missing as a landslide hit a house belonging to Jora Singh Shahi at Tilagufa-6. Shahi’s 80-year-old mother, Lalka Shahi, went missing in the landslide, said police.

In Gorkha, according to Shankarhari Acharya, chief district officer, Deepak GC, 34-year-old man of Surkhet, who was trapped in a landslide at Lokpavir in Chumanuvri Rural Municipality-6, was rescued after four days on Sunday. GC was badly injured and was sent to the TU Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu for treatment by helicopter.

In Myagdi, a landslide triggered by continuous rains damaged the Lulang Basic School building located at Lulang in Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality-2. The classrooms of grade three and grade eight of the school were destroyed by the landslide that hit on Saturday afternoon.

Due to excessive rain most of the districts of the Karnali province, including rural settlements, have been left without communication links.

According to Nepal Telecom's provincial office in Surkhet, the repeater tower at Ratamata, Rolpa, which links Jajarkot and Rukum, and the Sallabhir repeater tower that serves West Jajarkot remains shut since last Wednesday after its solar-powered batteries died owing to lack of sun. Also, the generator could not be operated for lack of fuel, according to Telecom officials. The Sallibhir area has been without telephone services for the past two days.

Also, Chaurjahari, Sallus Bazar, Rakam and Jajarkot headquarters of West Rukum have been without power for the past three days after a pylon of the central transmission line near Chhinchu was toppled by heavy rains.

Similarly in Salyan, the Srinagar market located in Sharada Municipality-1 in Salyan district has been inundated by rainwaters. More than 50 families have been affected due to the flooding in the Sukekhola and Bhagwati rivers. According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Damodar KC of the District Police Office Salyan, landslide debris including rocks have entered the houses. Due to the increase in the flow of water in the river, the transport service has also been disrupted. There are no casualties but locals are living in fear.

And in Bajhang, the five days of rains have blocked several roads and disrupted power supply. According to Kamal Raj Chaudhary, information officer at the District Police Office, Bajhang, life in the district has been badly affected due to the continuous rainfall since Wednesday. Due to the landslides that accompanied the rains, the Jaya Prithvi Highway, the only road connecting Bajhang with other districts, has been blocked and the electricity service has been cut off, making life difficult. The district administration office has issued a notice warning locals of more rain-induced disasters if the weather does not improve. It has asked the public to take all possible precautions to remain safe.

(With inputs from our local correspondents)