Landslide puts up to 25 houses and shops at risk in Gorkha bazaar

A landslide triggered by continuous rainfall is threatening Raisans bazaar in ward 4 of Sahid Lakhan Rural Municipality, Gorkha. According to Ratopati English, the slope has been moving for the past few days and between 22 and 25 houses and shops in the market area are now considered at risk. Ward chairman Yam Bahadur Thapa said the landslide had not yet carried away any house, but that the ground was sinking and the slide was still active, so the buildings could be swept away at any moment. He said the slide was now reaching the houses and that homes and shops were on the verge of being washed away. The nearby Dhodeni area is also at risk from the same landslide. With the danger growing, preparations have started to move local residents to a safe place. Thapa said arrangements were being made to shift the affected people to a community building close by, and that tents were being organised as temporary shelter for the time being. Because the site is a bazaar, most of the houses also contain shops and businesses. The local administration and the ward office have asked people living in the risk zone to remain alert and to move to safety.