22 people still missing in Hewakhola flooding disaster

KIMATHANKA: Twenty-two people are still unaccounted for after they were swept away by the flooding caused by the swollen Hewakhola River in Sankhuwasabha on Saturday night.

Santosh Rai, 26, of Panchkhapan-9 was killed after he was swept away by the floods that occurred on the night of June 17. The flood and landslips were triggered by incessant rains some days back.

The District Police Office said 17 workers employed in the under-construction Super Hewakhola Hydropower Project at local Chainpur-4 have gone missing after they were swept away in the flood.

The missing people have been identified as Santosh Dhakal (Sunsari), the supervisor of the Hydropower, Bhuwan Singh Tamang (Chainpur Municipality), Subas Rai (Sankhuwasabha), Phaij Bahadur Karki (Jhapa), Ganesh Giri (Dhankuta), Raj Kumar Magar (Ilam), Meena Shrestha (Jhapa), Ram Jatan Tharu (Kailali), Rahul Tharu (Bardiya) and Rohit Tharu (Bardiya).

Also missing in the disaster are Kali Ram Tharu (Bardiya), Rajram Tharu (Bardiya), Sugat Tharu (Kailali), Amar Tharu (Kailali), Sita Tharu (Kailali) and Deepak Magar (Sankhuwasabha), 60-year-old Ganesh Rai and 61-year-old Sanchamaya Rai of Sunamla, Sabhapokhari Rural Municipality-3. Ganesh and Sanchamaya were swept away while constructing a cowshed at Sunamla.

Likewise, Bhim Chaudhary of Bardiya Municipality and 50-year-old Gyan Bahadur Limbu of Chainpur Municipality-4 have gone missing at Nundhaki of Chainpur Municipality-1. Limbu is the worker at Upper Hewakhola Hydropower.

Two workers of the Super Hewakhola Hydropower have been seriously injured after they were swept away by the flood. They are 24-year-old Tikaram Chaudhary and 35-year-old Deepak Raj Tharu of Bardiya Municipality-7. They are being treated at the Helping Hand Hospital at Chainpur.

The flooding occurred after the river, which was blocked due to a landslide at Chainpur Municipality- 4 and Panchkhapan Municipality-9, burst. The subsequent flood in the river has caused huge loss of lives and properties. RSS