OKHALDHUNGA, Jan 5: Dozens of passengers traveling from Solukhumbu to Kathmandu via Okhaldhunga have been stranded along the highway as vehicular movement has come to a standstill due to snowfall in the region. It has been raining and snowing heavily in Solukhumbu and Okhaldunga since Friday evening. Even Kathmandu received rainfall on Thursday and Friday.
According to Mekh Bahadur Magar of Siddhicharan Municipality – 6, passengers have been stuck on the way as vehicles have not been able to move along the way.
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"There are signs that the weather might improve soon, but dozens of people are currently stranded on the way," he said. "Normal life here has come to a halt. It is extremely cold here," he added.
Pattale, Dhap, Thade, Todke and Deurali, among other areas of Solukhumbu are filled with thick layers of snow. Although the concerned authority is busy clearing the snow on the roads, the progress is too slow. According to the District Police Office, Okhaldhunga, the roads are too slippery. A few excavators have been sent to clear the road. Officials at the DPO stated that the vehicles that left for Kathmandu from Solukhumbu on Friday morning have stranded at Bipplate and Chitre.
Kamal Prasad Neupane, a local of Khijidemba, Okhaldunga, lamented that people have fallen sick due to the harsh weather. "Children and elderly suffer a lot. Others are falling sick too," he said.
Also according to Hari Magar, teacher at Grace Academy of Okhaldunga, the weather is too chilly. "Even cattle have been affected. This has hit the farmers hard," he said.
