Daijiworld Media Network – Kathmandu
Kathmandu, Sep 29: A large section of a mountainside collapsed into the Kali Gandaki River in Nepal following days of heavy rain and landslides, with a terrifying video of the incident showing villagers screaming and fleeing to safety.
In the footage, villagers can be heard shouting "ghar gai sakyo", meaning "the home is already gone", as the mountainside crumbles into the river within seconds.
The incident came amid widespread heavy rainfall and landslides that have reportedly killed at least 24 people and left 14 missing across several districts of Nepal.
Meanwhile, the death toll from an avalanche that struck the Himlung Himal peak in Manang district rose to four on Monday, while eight people remained missing, according to Nepalese officials.
The avalanche struck the base camp of the 7,126-metre Himlung Himal peak in the Nar Phu area on Sunday, burying tents where support staff and mountain guides were sheltering. A total of 22 people, all Nepalese, were initially reported missing.
Rescuers have so far established contact with 10 people. The four bodies recovered have been identified as Chhebi Bhote, Pasang Bhote, Birendra Gurung and Ghan Shyam Rai.
Senior Captain Pasang Norbu Sherpa of Prabhu Helicopter said a rescue team was flown to the base camp on Monday morning and began searching for the missing people after being dropped at the site.
Continued rainfall has also caused rivers and streams to swell, putting settlements along riverbanks at risk. Nepal's Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall in parts of several provinces and a heightened risk of flooding.
Authorities have urged residents living near rivers and in landslide-prone areas to remain alert, warning that persistent rainfall could further increase river levels and trigger landslides in areas where the ground has already been weakened by the monsoon.
Several major roads have also been disrupted. The BP Highway was affected by the swollen Roshi River, which washed away temporary road diversions at Chaukidanda and Ghumaune.
The Prithvi Highway has been hit by landslides at several points in Dhading. Seven locations have reported landslides, with sections at Krishnabhir and Tigraang Khola completely blocked. Traffic has been restricted to one lane at five other locations, while ongoing rainfall and fresh landslides have hampered debris-clearance operations.
The Kanti Lokpath, an important road connecting Kathmandu with Makwanpur and Hetauda, has also been disrupted after landslides blocked the route at three locations on the Lalitpur side.