Heavy rains lash east Nepal; one dead, 25 missing
Last updated on: 18 June,2023 12:14 pm
"One body has been recovered while police are searching for the missing labourers," police said
KATHMANDU (Reuters) – One person was killed and at least 25 others were missing in flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains that battered east Nepal, officials said on Sunday, the first known fatality since the annual rains began last week.
Heavy rains washed away a hydroelectric project under construction on the Hewa River in Sankhuwasabha district in eastern Nepal where 16 workers have gone missing, said Bimal Paudel, a government official.
"One body has been recovered while police are searching for the missing labourers," he said.
Nine people were also missing in flash floods and landslides in neighbouring Taplejung and Panchthar districts, bordering India in the east, officials said.
Gaurav Dhakal of the Panchthar district said overnight rains damaged two bridges on the Mechi highway, cutting off the road link to remote Taplejung district where four people were missing.
Officials said heavy rains prevented rescue workers from reaching the hilly Sidingwa village where at least 20 houses were at risk of being washed away.
According to DSP Birendra Godar of District Police Office Sankhuwasabha, 16 out of the 19 individuals who were employed at the under-construction hydroelectric project in the Hewa Khola, situated in Chainpur municipality-4 went missing. Three were rescued and have been taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, he said.
Four people, including three members of the same family, have gone missing after being buried in a landslide in Taplejung.
Yadav Budhathoko’s wife Bhagimaya, daughter-in-law Sandhya and grandson Prajwal of Sidingwa rural municipality-6 are missing after being buried in a landslide. According to the police, Ganesh Tamang from the rural municipality is also missing.
Search and rescue operations are ongoing, said DSP Rajan Limbu of Taplejung Police.
He said landslides occurred in various parts of the district and that the exact details of damages and those missing are still being calculated.
Annual rains, which are crucial for crops, normally begin in mid-June and continue through September in Nepal.
Hundreds are killed or go missing in rains which spark floods inundating villages, crops and damaging infrastructure every year in mostly mountainous Nepal, nestled between China and India.