KATHMANDU: The heavy rains on Saturday night in eastern Nepal’s hill districts caused massive floods and landslides that claimed at least three lives and left another 30 people missing.
Following the arrival of the monsoon a few days ago, Taplejung, Sankhuwasabha, and Panchthar districts were the worst hit. This year’s monsoon began in Nepal on June 14, according to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.
In Taplejung, two out of five individuals reported missing following a landslide in Sidingwa Rural Municipality are now known to have perished.
Three members of the same family, Bhagimaya Budha Chhetri, Sandhya Budha Chhetri, and Prajwal Budha Chhetri, as well as visitors Yadav Budha Chhetri and Ganesh Tamang, were reported missing.
Later, during a search operation carried out by the police and local authorities on Sunday afternoon, the bodies of Yadav Budha Chhetri and Ganesh Tamang were discovered. Bhagimaya Budha Chhetri, 63, her daughter-in-law Sandhya, 30, and her nine-year-old grandson Prajwal of Mehele remain missing, and a search and rescue effort is currently under way, according to DSP Rajan Limbu, Chief of the District Police Office in Taplejung.
The bodies of Ram Bahadur Tamang and Yadav Budha Chhetri were found among the rubble after a search operation, according to Kusharam Karki, the district police office’s spokesperson and information officer.
In Pedang of Sirijanga Rural Municipality Ward No. 5, Yadab Budha Chhetri reportedly paid a visit to his sister-in-law’s home.
The four houses owned by Maheshwar Selin, Prem Selin, Dilli Selin, and Naresh Selin, which were situated in Ward No. 3 of Siddhinga Rural Municipality, were destroyed by the landslide, according to the District Police Office.
Two laborers were rescued on Sunday from the flood-affected area in Sankhuwasabha district, leaving 22 workers who went missing after a significant flood on Saturday night.
Tikaram Chaudhary, 24, and Deepak Raj Tharu, 35, both employees of the Super Hewa Khola Hydropower Project in Bardiya, were discovered in critical condition, according to Chief of District Police Office Sankhuwasabha, DSP Birendra Godar.
A Primary Health Center in Sankhuwasabha, Chainpur, is currently caring for the injured
The flood has swept away seven homes along the Hewa River’s banks. The Super Hewa and Upper Hewa Hydro Project, which was being built in Chainpur-4, was completely damaged by the flood, according to DSP Godar.
The police officer claims that the flood has also harmed the bridge that is still being built to connect Panchkapan and Chainpur. A team of members from the Armed Police Force (APF) and the Chainpur Area Police Office have been sent to the scene of the accident to search for and rescue the missing people.
Five people in the Panchthar district are unaccounted for after the Hewa River flooded as a result of the overnight heavy rains.
They were identified by the District Police Office, Panchthar, as Til Kumar Tamang, 45, of Hilihang Rural Municipality-7, Sanjog Limbu, 28, of Phidim Municipality-11, Raj Kumar Rai, 55, of Phidim Municipality-5, Ashish Majhi, 28, of Phidim Municipality-4, and Alisa Majhi, 25, of Hilihang Rural Municipality-7.
Juna, the 8-year-old child of Pradip Sauden of Phalelung Rural Municipality-4 in Panchthar, was saved from the rubble alive but later passed away while receiving treatment. She sustained injuries when the swollen river in Phalelung-3 swept her house away.
Mechi highway is blocked
The flood has caused disruptions to the Mechi Highway and the roads that run along the Tamor Corridor. We’re gathering information about the losses.
Because of the destroyed bridges caused by the flooded Hewa River, there is no longer a road connection between Panchthar and the nearby Taplejung district or between Hilihang and Yangwarak.
Four bridges, one on the Mechi Highway, one on the Tamor Corridor, and two in Phalelung Rural Municipality, were reportedly destroyed by the river, according to police sources. An excavator from the Tamor Hydropower Project in Phalelung was also lost in the flooded river.
Inconvenient transportation to hospitals for those in need of emergency medical care has resulted from the disruption of roads. Likewise, the region’s production of green vegetables and dairy products has been disrupted, costing the farmers a great deal of money.
The authorities are to search for those who have gone missing quickly, per PM Dahal
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has instructed the line agencies and concerned officials to work quickly to find any missing people as well as to conduct rescue and relief efforts in the affected communities in the eastern hill districts. .
The government’s employees, security agencies, and the general public have all been urged by Prime Minister Dahal to work together to aid communities affected by flooding.
Additionally, he has expressed his profound sorrow over the loss of people and property as a result of floods and landslides brought on by constant rain.