A 28-year-old man went missing after falling into the Mahakali river when an improvised cable crossing, known as Tuin, snapped in Dumling in ward 2 of Byas Rural Municipality in Darchula district on Monday.

According to the District Police Office in Darchula, Narayan Budhathoki fell into the river at around noon while crossing from Dumling to the Indian market on the other side.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Prakash Dahal said that a joint team of Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and local residents are searching for the victim.

All nearby police units downstream have also been alerted for the search operation. This tragic incident has once again highlighted the government’s longstanding failure to replace perilous Tuins with safer alternatives.

In 2015, during his first term as Prime Minister, KP Sharma Oli had pledged to make Nepal "Tuin-free" within two years.

Nearly a decade later, the same promise has been repeated several times, including in the policy and programme document for the upcoming fiscal year of 2025-26, which again commits to replacing all Tuins with foot bridges.

Despite such repeated assurances, dozens of settlements along the Mahakali river in Sudurpaschim Province continue to rely on risky cable crossings for daily travel.