Disaster toll: 73 lives lost in Gandaki province since April

Pokhara, September 25 — In Gandaki Province, 73 people have died due to disasters. Official statistics indicate that since last Baishakh (April-May), 73 fatalities have been reported across eleven districts. Three individuals are still missing, and 82 others are injured. Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey informed that they are receiving treatment in various hospitals.

According to him, the highest number of deaths occurred in Baglung, with 20 fatalities, followed by Kaski with 15, Syangja with 9, and Gorakh with 6. In the last five months, disasters have caused damages amounting to 170 million rupees across the province.

"The government is sensitive to disaster reduction and management. However, there are many challenges to making it effective," Pandey said. "Our security forces are deployed, and the government is focused on rapid rescue and relief efforts."

He mentioned that a budget of 100 million rupees has been allocated for a provincial disaster fund and 1 million rupees for the district disaster fund. The provincial government has also been providing immediate relief of 50,000 rupees per deceased individual to their families in the event of fatalities caused by disaster-related incidents.