Three persons died, two others have gone missing in Duhun Rural Municipality of Darchula district in the past 24 hours. Seven houses were buried in a landslide at Jyotinagar Bamghat in Butwal on Monday. Amrita Anmol/TKP
At least three people died and two others went missing over the past 24 hours as heavy rainfall triggered landslides and floods in Darchula.
Police said a landslide buried a house at Baspali in Duhun Rural Municipality, killing a 76-year-old man and his 66-year-old wife on Sunday night. Similarly, an 84-year-old man died while his wife and another local man were injured when floods in the Kalagad stream inundated the Dulla area in the same rural municipality. The injured were airlifted to Kathmandu in a Nepal Army helicopter on Monday.
In a separate incident, Sher Singh Karki and his brother Harak Singh Karki of Duhun Rural Municipality went missing from a local water mill in the Nijaggad stream on Monday morning. Security personnel and local residents suspect that the Karki brothers might have been swept away by the rain-swollen stream.
“Search is underway to find the missing brothers,” said Bhatta. “The flooded Nijaggad stream has swept away six water mills in the area.”
“Floods and landslides have damaged lives and properties in several places. Security personnel are yet to assess the damage caused by the disasters,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police Manohar Prasad Bhatta.
It has been raining heavily in Darchula since Sunday.
Floods in the Kalagad and Nijaggad streams have caused huge damages in riverside settlements.
“Human casualties were prevented as the local residents evacuated their homes after the Kalagad stream started overflowing at around 10pm on Sunday,” said Mansingh, a local resident.
According to him, a dam formed at Simar stream after it got blocked by landslides burst, causing huge damage to downstream settlements. Dulla, Ghoptya, Naroli and Battholi settlements were hardest hit by the flooded stream.
The floods in Kalagad also swept away two micro-hydropower projects, disrupting power supply to six villages. At least 10 families have been displaced in the area, police said.
“Security personnel, people’s representatives and locals have been mobilised to rescue and provide relief to the victims. Relief work has been affected, as the floods swept away bridges and pathways,” said Pulendra Bahadur Karki, the chairman of the local unit. According to him, floods and landslides have completely destroyed six houses and partially damaged 22 houses in the local unit. Forty other houses are at risk.
The floods in the Nijaggad river also swept away 10 houses in Duhun-3 and Ward No 1 of Mahakali Municipality.
According to police, the flooded Nijaggad stream swept away a motorable bridge along the Darchula-Tinkar road, two suspension bridges and a post of Api-Nampa Conservation Area.
Similarly, floods in the local streams of Api Himal Rural Municipality-6 swept away two suspension bridges and some water mills and wooden bridges in the area.
In Butwal, seven houses were buried in a landslide at Jyotinagar Bamghat in Butwal Sub Metropolitan City-3 on Monday. However, no human casualties have been reported so far, according to the Area Police Office in Butwal.
According to Madan Kunwar, deputy superintendent of police at the Area Police Office in Butwal, 50 other houses in the city have been affected by the landslide.
“The landslide has not stopped. We have requested local residents to stay alert,” Kunwar said.
Some displaced families are taking shelter at Butwal Multiple Campus while others are staying at their relatives’ houses, said Kunwar.
Since 4pm on Monday, vehicular movement in Daunne section of Bardaghat-Dumkibas road along the East-West Highway has been obstructed due to multiple landslides in Khursani Khola, three kilometres west from Dumkibas bazaar.
“Vehicles have been stranded in the Bardaghat area since Monday afternoon,” said Hari Paudel, a resident of Gaindakot.
Chief District Officer of Nawalparasi (East) Manamaya Pangeni said dozers have been mobilised to clear the road blockage.
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