SINDHUPALCHOWK, July 9: As many as 16 houses were swept away by floods triggered by incessant rainfall in two settlements along the Araniko Highway in Sindhupalchowk district at around 1am on Thursday.
Two dead bodies have been recovered while at least 23 others have gone missing as the water level surged in the local streams in Jambu of Bahrabise Municipality and Bulkute in Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality. Fourteen houses in Jambu Bazaar and two others in Bulkute were swept away by the floods. Two dead bodies were found in Jambu while 19 locals are still missing from the same place, according to Chief District Officer (CDO) Umesh Kumar Dhakal.
Sindhupalchowk flood updates: Two die, 20 missing (with photos)
Four others who have gone missing are from Bulkute, according to the chairman of Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality. He also said that two children sustained injuries due to the floods. They are being airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment.
With heavy rainfall in the region, water level in the Bhotekoshi River and local rivulets rose to the danger level. CDO Dhakal said that rescuing the victims is difficult as the Araniko Highway is disrupted at various places due to landslides. Though security forces were informed of the incident at night itself, they couldn’t reach the site.
CDO Dhakal said that the security personnel left for the affected areas only in the morning today on foot. “The details about the incident is yet to be collected,” he said.