By Deepak Adhikari
KATHMANDU, Nepal
Thousands were forced to flee their homes on Sunday after a massive landslide blocked the Kali Gandaki river in Nepal’s mid-west.
The landslide was the latest in a series to have hit the Himalayan nation since April 25’s magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck, killing more than 8,600.
Dozens of houses in the village of Ramche in Myagdi district have been buried and residents have sought refuge in the hills above the blocked river, which has caused a large lake to develop, police told Anadolu Agency.
“Three days ago, we evacuated 113 villagers of Ramche after they found rocks falling from the hills,” police officer Purna Bahdur Baral told Anadolu Agency.
“That’s the reason they were safe when the landslide hit today at 2 a.m. [0745GMT]. We informed people about the dangers through loud speakers and hundreds have fled to the higher places. There hasn’t been any human casualty so far.”
Authorities have urged residents in seven districts surrounding the site to move to safety. The landslide hit the mountain communities just as they were preparing for the annual monsoon rains that trigger landslides and floods.
Baral said scores of villages in Myagdi and Parbat districts had been abandoned because of flood fears.
The landslide has created a 150 meter (490 foot) deep, 1 km long lake, according to police. Experts and soldiers have been sent to the site, 140 km northwest of capital Kathmandu.
Nepal has been ravaged by a series of disasters since last month’s earthquake, which was followed by a 7-3 magnitude quake on May 12. On Saturday evening, five people were killed in eastern Nepal and Kathmandu when a dust storm wreaked havoc across the country, toppling trees and lifting roofs.
Last August, a landslide hit the village of Jure on the Tibetan border, killing more than 150.
