A landslide triggered by a road dug by a bulldozer buried two houses along with livestock. Sixteen family members managed to escape, but a senior citizen was seriously injured.
The injured, 90-year-old Godawari Chand, could not be treated at Baitadi District Hospital and was referred to Dadeldhura Hospital. The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon in Kathnoli (Chaupata), Surnaya Rural Municipality–2, when a landslide from the bulldozer-dug road buried the eight-room house of local resident Girish Chand and the four-room house of Rekha Chand, along with their livestock.
According to locals, five cows, four calves, and 15 goats were also buried in the landslide. The displaced families are now taking shelter at neighbors’ homes.
Local leader Dev Bahadur Chand said the landslide occurred due to recent rainfall and the bulldozer’s road construction. He also complained that for 24 hours after the landslide, except for the Nepal Police, no officials from the municipality, including the chief and deputy chief, visited the site.
“The families lost everything. State authorities have yet to reach the affected households,” he said. The Surnaya–Shribhawar road section has been under construction for two years, and locals have raised concerns that careless bulldozer work during winter has even damaged water sources.
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