POKHARA, July 30

Landslides and floods triggered by incessant rainfall since yesterday afternoon have claimed lives of at least 33 persons in Kaski and Myagdi districts, leaving 20 persons injured and many missing.

According to Kaski District Police Office, 19 persons lost their lives in Lumle, five in Bhadaure Tamagi and two in Dhikur Pokhari villages of the district when landslides or floods struck their homes. Seven persons were killed in Myagdi’s Mudi and Muna VDCs due to the landslides.

The rain-triggered landslides have also blocked Pokhara-Baglung highway at a number of places, causing obstruction of vehicular traffic since yesterday.

In Lumle VDC, 10 houses were completely destroyed, while a school in Majhghar village suffered extensive damage. “As the landslide occurred at night, many couldn’t flee,” said local Balkrishna Devkota. He said the landslide first struck and damaged a drinking water tank with a capacity of 20,000 litres and the gushing water swept away the houses. According to Inspector Devi Poudel, seven people of a single family were killed in Lumle.

Basanti BK, Samjhana BK, Chija BK, Salina BK, Sunil BK, Manju Sunar and her three month-old baby Sima, Sun Kumari GC, Sugam GC, Sangam GC, Tshering Rai and his wife, Arjun Gurung, Ratna Gurung, Khimauri BK, Padmi Devkota, Til Kumari Devkota, Tulasi Devkota and Gurudatta Devkota were killed in Lumle, while 10 persons have been missing there.

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• Compensation for victims’ kin

In Bhadaure Tamagi VDC, five persons lost their lives and three have been missing since a landslide struck at Dudaphant at around 1:00am today. The deceased have been identified as Tikaram BK, Ram Kumari BK, Gauri Parajuli, Karan Parajuli and Nandakali Parajuli.

Elsewhere in the district, floods claimed two lives in Dhikur Pokhari — Asmita Dahal, 17, and Premraj Dahal, 19, were swept away by a swollen rivulet in Dhikur Pokhari, Thulachaur.

In Mudi and Muna VDCs of Myagdi, seven persons — six in Garkhoriya, Mudi, and one in Kunauto, Muna — were killed when a landslide buried their houses. The deceased have been identified as Kalo Gharti, Jit Bahadur Gharti, Bhim Bahadur Gharti, Daldevi Pun, Kisanlal Pun and Dhandevi Pun of Mudi and eight-year-old Melina Pun of Kunauto. Their bodies are yet to be retrieved, as security personnel have not reached the site due to adverse weather condition.

Flooded Gaurakhola washed away a suspension bridge linking Mudi to Nerwang.

According to the police, around 250 goats and sheep and over 80 cows and buffaloes also perished in landslides.

Powerful earthquake and its aftershocks that rattled Nepal in April and May have raised the risk of landslides across the mountainous regions during the rainy season, which lasts from June to September.