KATHMANDU: Four people who suffered serious injuries in the landslide occurred this morning at Lidi of Jugal rural municipality-2 have been brought to Kathmandu on a helicopter in the first phase of rescue.
According to rural municipality chair Hom Narayan Shrestha, a team comprising Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota was already in the landslide-hit area for rescue efforts.
Similarly, four Nepal Army rescuers and an engineer have been sent there. Until the filing of this report, a team from the Nepal Red Cross Society was on the way to the site with rescue efforts, it is said.
Locals said at least 35 people have been missing in the landslide that fell from above 400 meters of the settlement at Lamachaur of Lidi, burying 28 houses.
It occurred at around 6:30 am.
As people’s representative Shrestha said, people of five houses, among the buried, have gone missing since the incident. Local Peshlal Dong said, they have traced two dead bodies in the landslide debris.
The search and rescue efforts have been hampered as the landslide continues.
Those who have seen their houses buried in the landslide are taking shelter in the upper hills.
The site lies in a geographically remote area. There is no other human settlement nearby there.
District Police Office’s Superintendent of Police Madhav Prasad Kafle said a rescue team from Kattike has already left for the site, but it is taking time for it to reach as the route is longer.
According to local Ash Bahadur Tamang, locals here a week ago approached the District Disaster Management Committee, requesting for evacuation, citing the settlement falls under the risk of disaster.
He said but the administration failed to take the note seriously and respond to it. ‘’The casualties could be avoided our calls were responded promptly.”
As he said, the explosion made during the tunnel construction under the 26 megawatt Balefi-A Hydro Power Project has loosened earth here.
In the application submitted to the committee, it is mentioned that over 500 houses at Nampha, Sanchagaun, Lidi, Jhulke, Nimlung and Baigang are at risk of landslide.
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