ACHHAM: Two people were killed and another injured early Friday morning after a rockfall crushed a chhaupadi hut in Achham district, according to police.
The incident occurred in Churkhuli settlement of Panchdeval Binayak Municipality-8, where 35-year-old Nim Khanal of Selapani and seven-year-old Kavita Bhandari, daughter of Gauri Bhandari of Mangalsen-6, were sleeping inside the shed. Both died on the spot when a boulder fell from a nearby cliff, said District Police Office Chief Om Prakash Khanal.
Kavita’s mother, who was also inside the hut, sustained injuries and has been taken to a local health post for treatment.
A police team led by Inspector Tek Bahadur Deuba has been dispatched to the site for further investigation, Deputy Superintendent of Police Khanal confirmed.
Chhaupadi, the centuries-old practice of banishing menstruating women and girls to makeshift sheds, remains prevalent in parts of Achham despite being outlawed in Nepal. The practice has often led to tragic deaths from snakebites, fire, cold, or structural collapse of unsafe huts.
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