A massive landslide has hit Nepal following days of heavy rain, with footage showing a large section of a mountainside collapsing into the Kali Gandaki River within seconds. The incident happened after a fresh spell of floods and landslides on Sunday that has killed at least 24 people and left 14 missing across several districts.
Several videos of the disaster have surfaced on social media. One video shows a large section of a hillside giving way rapidly, while residents can be heard screaming as the debris moves downhill.
Heavy rain triggers landslides, floods
Nepal has been hit by another major natural disaster less than a month after the August 26 flash floods. Three days of heavy rain have triggered landslides and river overflows, damaging homes, roads, bridges and other infrastructure.
Manang, Myagdi, Baglung, Parbat and Palpa are among the worst-affected districts. Parts of the southern Terai region are also facing waterlogging and erosion.
According to officials, 10 people have died in Baglung, six in Myagdi and two in Manang in Gandaki province. Five deaths have been reported from Palpa in Lumbini province, while one person died after being caught in a landslide in Mithila municipality of Dhanusha district.
Fourteen people remain missing. Police said 10 are missing in Manang, three in Myagdi and one in Baglung. Two people were injured in Lamjung, while Baglung and Myagdi each reported one injury.
Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said the Kali Gandaki River has caused the most extensive damage. The Narayani and Tinau rivers have also caused flooding, erosion and waterlogging.
Hundreds of families affected
The floods and landslides have directly affected 747 families. Authorities said 143 houses have been destroyed and 51 partially damaged.
In Gandaki province, 195 houses have been completely damaged and 26 partially damaged, while another 270 houses are at risk. Around 1,500 people from 435 households have been displaced.
Parbat has reported the most serious physical damage among the 11 districts of Gandaki province. At least 106 houses have been destroyed and four partially damaged, forcing 540 people from 162 households to leave their homes.
Six bridges have been completely damaged and two partially damaged. Three government offices have been completely damaged and three partially damaged. Fifteen animal sheds have been destroyed and two partially damaged, resulting in the deaths of 44 livestock. Three two-wheelers and 15 four-wheelers have also been damaged.
Two mountaineers killed in avalanche
Two people were killed in an avalanche at Himlung Himal in Narphu, Manang, on Sunday. Their identities have not yet been established.
Acting chief of the Manang District Police Office, Police Inspector Binod Bohara, said the avalanche struck after days of rain. The two deceased were part of a group of 22 people comprising nine mountaineers and 13 support staff who had gone for the Himalayan expedition.
Ten members of the group have made contact from Phu village in Narphu, while the whereabouts of the remaining 10 remain unknown.
A helicopter was sent from Kathmandu for search and rescue operations, but bad weather hampered the mission on Sunday. Police said the operation would resume on Monday morning.
Bridges swept away, power projects hit
The flooding of the Kali Gandaki River also swept away a concrete bridge connecting Syangja and Gulmi, cutting road connectivity between the two districts.
The bridge had already suffered damage in the days before Sunday but was completely washed away when the river surged.
As the water level rose, all three gates of the Mirmi dam of the 144-MW Kali Gandaki ‘A’ hydropower project in Beltari, Syangja, were opened fully and power generation was halted.
Flooding also damaged towers 21 and 22 on the 220-kV Kali Gandaki Corridor transmission line between Dana in Myagdi and Kushma in Parbat. Problems on the Kushma-New Butwal transmission line have further affected 358.2 MW of electricity generation.
Power generation has also been disrupted at several hydropower projects, including Nilgiri and Rahughat, as rescue and damage-assessment operations continue across the affected districts.
Source: News18