Phidim, July 26

Transport service has been obstructed along the Ilam-Phidim road section of Mechi Highway from yesterday night.

Vehicles heading towards Jhapa from Ilam, Taplejung, Panchthar and vehicles heading from Jhapa towards Ilam, Panchthar, Taplejung were stuck after boulders fell on the road at Samdin of Phidim. As many as 500 vehicles have been stranded after the landslides.

Chief District Officer Kiran Thapa of Panchthar said that Nepali Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force have been deployed to clear the road since early morning. He informed that it was very difficult to clear the road immediately as big rocks had fallen on the road.

DSP Krishna Prasad Koirala of District Police Office, Panchthar said that preparations were on to clear the road by blasting the rocks.

Two houses are at high risk of landslides due to incessant rainfall in Phidim. The houses belonging to Jaya Nembang and Tek Nath Baskota of Phidim are at high risk of the landslides after the mud began to slip near their houses.

Locals said that the landslides occurred because the land of Kanchanjunga Academy Higher Secondary School was flattened.