The family of Baburam Chepang, 65, fell ill after having wild mushrooms for dinner Friday evening. Baburam, his wife Moti Maya, 60, and their three and half years old granddaughter Aita Maya died while Baburam´s sons Purna Bahadur, 23, and Jeet Bahadur, 20, and their wives Sarita Maya, 20, and Manju Maya, 17, Baburam´s daughter Geeta Maya, a son of Purna Bahadur and Baburam´s 58-year-old second wife have fallen ill. [break]
Baburam´s two sons, who are in critical condition, reached hospital almost 24 hours with the help of villagers while two persons in serious condition were left back in village in lack of men to carry them.
The brothers had to be carried for 21 hours before finding a vehicle at Kirantar in Korak and it took nearly two hours to reach the hospital in Bharatpur from there. There is a health post in Basbang near Kanda but it doesn´t have health officials and enough medicines.
Granddaughter Aita Maya was the first to die Friday night, Baburam´s wife passed away Saturday while Baburam breathed his last Sunday night. The three had died due lack of access to hospitals. The critical brothers heard news of death of their father while being carried to hospital on Monday.
"We had left Kanda at four Sunday afternoon and reached Kirantar at one Monday afternoon. We faced immense difficulty," said teacher at the Kandeshwari Primary School near Kanda Bal Krishna Thapaliya, who came with the sick brothers.
Many rivers have to be crossed while coming toward Lothar Bazar at the East-West Highway from Kanda. "Due to high water levels in rivers, we couldn´t take them directly to Lothar and hence had to take them to Bharatpur via Korak," Thapaliya added. They rested during the night and resumed their trek to Bharatpur at 5:30 in the morning.
"Geeta Maya and Manju Maya are also in critical condition but we brought the more serious brothers leaving them back," Thapaliya reasoned.
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