Five missing in Hewa River identified

All five who went missing in a flooded Hewakhola river in Panchthar have been identified. The river connects Phidim rural municipality and Hilihang rural municipality in the district.

The District Police Office, Panchthar, identified them as Til Kumar Tamang, 45, of Hilihang rural municipality-7; Sanjog Limbu, 28, of Phidim municipality-11; Raj Kumar Rai, 55, of Phidim-5; Ashish Majhi, 28, of Phidim-4 and Alisa Majhi, 25, of Hilihang-7.

Of them, Tamang, Limbu and Rai are believed to have been swept away from the river bridge area while remaining two from the Tamor confluence at Majhitar that connects Phidim-4 and Hilihang- 7.

The flood has swept a two-storey house and a cowshed owned by Resham Katuwal of Phidim- 4.

One-storey house of Ram Prasad Rai, a two storey house of Chandra Begha and a one storey house of Krishna Bega were swept away by the river at Phalaincha of Yangwarak rural municipality-2. At Yangwarak, no human casualty has been reported yet and full details of the losses are awaited, District Police Office, Panchthar Chief Deputy Superintendent of Police Hari Khatiwada said.

According to the Office, the river has washed away four bridges: one along the Mechi Highway, one Bailey bridge along the Tamor corridor and two at Phalelung rural municipality. The flooded river also swept away an excavator belonging to the Tamor Hydropower Project from Phalelung.

The Mechi Highway and the roads along the Tamor Corridor have been disrupted by the flood. The details of the losses are being collected.

Road connectivity between Panchthar and neighbouring Taplejung districts and between Hilihang and Yangwarak have been disconnected after the flooded Hewa river washed away bridges.

The disruption of roads has caused inconvenience to take people requiring emergency medical services to hospitals. Likewise, the supplies of dairy products and green vegetables produced in the area have been disrupted, causing a huge loss to farmers.