Two dead as landslide hits major highway in Nepal

Two people were killed yesterday when they were buried in a landslide that struck a major highway connecting Nepal’s capital Kathmandu with the rest of the country, local police said.A man in his early 40s, who was driving his motorbike, and an assistant to an oil tanker driver were killed on the spot yesterday, said Ramesh Mishra, a police officer from Chitwan district in southern Nepal.A 15-year-old, who was riding pillion on the motorbike, and the driver of the oil tanker were both injured and were being treated in a hospital in Bharatpur, a town in Chitwan, he said.“A truck was also buried, but the driver was unhurt. The highway was under construction, but there are bends, and the river flows below the road,” Mishra said.Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Bimalendra Nidhi directed authorities concerned to facilitate the early rescue of the victims buried in the landslide.Subsequently, personnel of Nepal army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force have been mobilised for the rescue.While a Nepal Army helicopter has been kept on standby, a loader has been sent from Chitwan to open the obstructed road.Natural disasters are common during the annual monsoon season in largely mountainous Nepal, but Monday’s landslide was a dry one that occurred without any rainfall.More than 400 people were killed in landslides and flooding last year, according to the Nepal’s Home Ministry.