SINDHULI: A strip of the BP Highway in Shitalpati of Sindhuli district has caved in into the Sunkoshi River below, disrupting vehicular movement.

Around a hundred-metre strip of the road caved in into the river at Benighat Khalte in Shitalpati VDC-9 in the district, at around 11:00 pm last night, according to the Chief District Officer Tara Bahadur Karki.

He said the authorities were yet to determine the cause of the road collapse.

CDO Karki added that the section of the road had become so narrow that not even motorbikes could pass. Hundreds of vehicles heading towards the Capital and those heading out have been stranded with severed connectivity along the road.

Vehicles heading into the Capital from Ramechap, Dolakha, Khotang, Solukhumbu, Okhaldhunga and the eastern districts in Tarai have been stranded.

The District Administration Office (DAO) has issued a notice to the concerned transport entrepreneurs to inform the small and large vehicles heading towards Kathmandu to stay off the road for the time being.

The DAO has also notified Mahottari district officials to divert the vehicles heading west via Sindhuli. CDO Karki said the DAO appealed to the Department of Roads to make an alternate arrangement.

Locals blamed the road's weak foundation, cracks and fissures developed during the 2015 massive earthquake compounded by the monsoon downpour which had caused the road surface to subside.