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Nepal
Red Cross respond to landslide tragedy
16 July
2002
By Patrick Fuller in New Delhi, India
Nepal Red
Cross volunteers are among rescuers continuing to search for survivors
after massive landslides devastated two villages in eastern Nepal.
The landslides buried 35 houses in the villages of Dipsung and Sikundel
in the hill district of Khotang, about 300 kilometres east of the
capital, Kathmandu. Forty-six people are known to have died and
over 100 remain missing. Heavy monsoon rains triggered the landslides
late on Sunday night.
"It is particularly tragic as most people were asleep in their
homes at the time. In some cases there was nobody for us to help
as whole families were killed," explains Dev Ratna Dhakwa,
Secretary General of the Nepal Red Cross.
An estimated 90 houses were damaged or destroyed by the landslides
and survivors either fled to neighbouring villages or took refuge
in the surrounding jungle. The Nepal Red Cross immediately dispatched
relief materials including tarpaulins and blankets, sufficient for
50 families. These supplies were transported by government helicopters
from the Red Cross district chapter in Khotang.
In one incident 19 people died immediately as the top of a hill
slid 300 metres down on to the village below. Miraculously two people
were pulled out alive and are undergoing treatment at a local health
centre.
The ongoing rescue effort has been hampered by continuing torrential
rains and the remoteness of the area. The affected villages are
at least six hours by foot from the town of Khotang and with no
road network or landing strips, rescue teams of the Royal Nepal
Army and the Nepal police have been dropped into the area by helicopter.
The ongoing political strife in Nepal has also delayed the response
to the disaster. Communication facilities in the district have been
out of order for the last couple of months due to the destruction
of a repeater tower in nearby Udayapur.
Nepal's mountainous terrain means it suffers heavily every year
from landslides and flash floods during the monsoon season.
Related Links:
Nepal appeal 2002-2003
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