National
Two dead, three feared dead as flash floods wreak havoc in Ramechhap
Two persons were killed and three are reported missing after a flood swept through a settlement located at the border of Khimti and Pharpu villages of Ramechhap district on Saturday.Tika Prasad Bhatta
Two people died and three others feared dead when floods swept away five houses at Khimti area in Ramechhap district on Saturday night. Nine persons were injured, three of them critically, in the disaster.
Incessant rain inducted flash floods in three local streams at Likhu Rural Municipality-6 wreaked havoc. A motorable bridge and about 700 metres long road stretch of the Khimti-Betali section were swept away, disrupting transportation links to northern part of the district. Twenty-six electricity poles and swathes of paddy field were damaged by the floods.
The Chhatiwane stream, which flows in the border of Khimti and Pharpu, swept away five houses in the area. Two locals died and three others went missing in the incident. Police identified the deceased as Bal Kumari Khatri, 75, and Bashu Dev Karki, 40. Karki was a permanent resident of Manthali-12 and had gone to Khimti for paddy transplantation.
Manila Tamang, Suman Khatri and Ashok Tamang went missing in the water-induced disaster. Chief District Officer Surya Bahadur Khatri said that security personnel of Nepal Army (NA), Nepal Police and Armed Police Force have been mobilised in the area to search for the missing trio.
According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Kumodh Dungel, who reached the incident site early Sunday morning, nine injured people were airlifted to Kathmandu in a NA helicopter.
All the victims were taken to Capital though some of them have sustained minor injuries since the roads links were cut off to take them to local health facilities, he added.
Similarly, flooded Khahare stream entered Khimti Bazaar settlement breaching the embankment near an under-construction bridge. A house belonging to Shyam Shrestha was damaged in the incident, said police.
A massive flood in the Khahare stream had swept away a motorable bridge and some houses in the same area four years ago, killing eight persons.
Floods in the Khanikhola also damaged the road along Khimti-Khanikhola section. Vehicular movement was obstructed after the incident. A reserve tank of a local drinking water project was also damaged by the floods.
Meanwhile, the district natural disaster rescue committee decided to distribute immediate relief to the flood victims on Monday. The committee also decided to take initiatives to resume transportation along the damaged road sections.