KATHMANDU: Five persons including two women and three men have gone missing in flash floods in Budhigandaki river. The floods was triggered following a landslide occurred between Lokpa and Chumling of Chumnubri rural municipality in Gorkha district.
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), five residents of Chumchet of Chumnubri rural municipality-6 have been reported missing.
The flood has washed away houses, suspension and motorable bridges, electric poles and telephone towers at different places in the district, said Spokesperson of the NDRRMA, Shanti Mahat.
Seven to eight houses as well as under-construction Times Energy Pvt. Ltd at Dharche rural municipality-3 Salleri were swept away by the flood.
Mahat added that the flood swept away an old suspension bridge linking Nyakchet and Sirdibas as well as a house there.
Similarly, a suspension bridge connecting Machhikhola with Karauja of Dharche rural municipality-5, a motorable bridge connecting Gorkha from Arughat rural municipality-9 with Dhading, a bridge linking Arughat rural municipality 2 and 3 were also swept away, she mentioned.
“The flood entered the lower settlement of Macchikhola putting around 22 houses at risk. Main camp area of 341-MW Budhigandaki hydropower project and some construction equipment were also swept away. Two telephone towers and 50 electric poles suffered damages due to flood,” Mahat added.
The locals of downstream area were shifted to safer places by mobilizing security personnel soon after getting information of the flood, shared NDRRMA. Twenty-five security personnel from Area Police Office, Arughat, have been deployed for search and rescue operation.
Likewise, 12 staffs of Times Energy Pvt. Ltd were shifted to safer places while 437 security personnel—Nepali Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force Nepal have been mobilized at Budhigandaki flood affected areas.
Executive Chief of the NDRRMA Dr Dharma Raj Upreti shared that four helicopters of the Nepali Army have been used in search and rescue operation. Total 47 people were shifted to safer places using NA choppers so far.
Early information was sent to the people of Gorkha, Dhading and Benighat of Chitwan through SMS after receiving the information of the flood, he mentioned.