3 Humla villages closed off by landslides, helicopters to be sent

SURKHET, July 29: Three villages in Sarkegad Rural Municipality, Humla have been closed off due to floods and landslides.

Villages including Rip Village of Ward-2, Jiusi Village of Ward-6 and one other village from Ward-8 have been closed off due to continuous rain since last night.

The Vice Chairman of the Rural Municipality, Chandra Karki, informed that the rain that had started at 11 pm had not stopped. "The river channels around Rip Village have risen and entered the village", he said, "The wooden bridges built over the river have been washed away."

Karki stated that the people in the villages were unable to come out of their settlements after the Kathe bridge was swept away by the river. Similarly, lands, water tanks and pipes have also been washed away.

The Law Minister of the Province Government, Krishna GC, informed that preparations are being made to send helicopters to the villages for rescue. He said that the Nepal Army will fly to Humla after a while and rescue the residents by moving them to a safe place.

"We have requested the Home Ministry for more helicopters to make it easier to take the relief materials and move them to a safe place," Minister GC said. He also mentioned that the telephones are not working in Humla villages.