Four killed, 10 missing after landslide buries vehicles

The bodies of four people missing after landslides triggered by heavy rainfall buried and swept away five vehicles in Kolbung of Ilam district on Monday have been recovered from mud and debris.

The identity of the diseased could not be verified immediately Police said search and rescue personnel are engaged in finding ten others who are still said to be missing.

Earlier, 14 people were said to have gone missing after landslides triggered by heavy rainfall swept away three vehicles and buried two more in Ilam district’s Harkate-Kolbung road section along Mechi Highway.

Although police still have not confirmed the exact number of people missing in the incident, but landslides in the area had swept away two Santro cars, a tripper (Me 1 Ta 1196) and a truck (Me 1 Cha 1196) and buried two more trippers Me 1 Cha 2619 and Ko 1 Kha 1613.

Unverified reports say that Sharan Shrestha of Fikkal, Padam Pradhan and Indira Pradhan of Samalbung were travelling in one of the Santro car swept away by the landslides.

A team of search and rescue personnel from Nepal Police, Armed Police, Red Cross are engaged in rescue operation at the site of the landslides since early morning. Locals are also actively helping the rescue personnel to find survivors.

However, Chief District Officer Baburam Khatiwoda said that the ongoing rescue operation has been hampered by continuous rainfall that has made movement of rescue personnel very difficult and heightened risk of further landslides. nepalnews.com