MYAGDI, Sept 28: Fifty-seven-year-old Prem Bahadur Pun from Giwang, Ward No. 5 of Annapurna Rural Municipality, and 41-year-old Lalit Pun from Dowa, Ward No. 1, were trapped in a landslide for about 12 hours on Sunday.
After four days of continuous rain, Prem Bahadur's house was surrounded by landslides early Sunday morning.
After 3 PM, security personnel who arrived by Nepali Army helicopter rescued the two men and brought them to Beni. After their rescue, they said they had been given a new life.
“My house is on a hill, with ravines on both sides. Landslides had been occurring on the right and left. There’s a cliff above and below the house, so there’s no other way to go. At that moment, we felt that this was the last moment of our lives,” Prem said.
According to him, there was no phone connection, and they spent 12 hours in “sheer panic.”
“The rain stopped in the afternoon and the sky cleared, and then helicopters started coming, giving us hope of survival. After being rescued, we feel like we’ve been given a new life.”
Four people trapped in avalanche rescued
Prem Bahadur lives alone. Lalit, a herder from Dowa, had come down from the highland pastures at Khopara Lek and was staying overnight at Prem Bahadur’s house while returning home to Dowa.
“I was returning home after four months in Khopara Lek, and I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to see my family and relatives after the landslide surrounded the house,” Lalit said, adding that the whole day passed restlessly.
“After being rescued and brought to Beni in the afternoon, I kept thinking about my family and meeting them. But I can’t even call home, and since the road to my house is disrupted and impassable, I’m staying in Beni.”
The Pun duo, who were rescued and brought by helicopter to Beni, the district headquarters, visited the District Administration Office to thank the people’s representatives, administration officials and security personnel for rescuing them from the “jaws of death” and giving them a new life.
Prem, who works at the Middle Kaligandaki Hydropower Project, said the rescue was made easier because he called the commander at the Nepali Army post in Gharkhola to inform him about their dire situation.
Giwang, Paudwar, Ghirwang, Dhoskekhor and Kindu, parts of Annapurna Rural Municipality-5, have been cut off following landslides triggered by incessant rains on Sunday.
The landslides massively damaged roads and trekking routes, leaving some people trapped inside their homes and others in sheds.
According to Chief District Officer Ganesh Gaire, 78 people were airlifted from Paudwar and Giwang and taken to Shikh, Ghar and Beni.
At the time of filing this report, preparations were underway to send a helicopter to rescue those in need.
Dil Prasad Phagami of Aula in Annapurna Rural Municipality-7 said landslides from above the settlement had forced residents to flee their homes. They have taken shelter in a health post building and nearby sheds. According to him, around 100 households in the area are awaiting rescue.
The death toll from landslides in the district has risen to six, while three people remain missing. Four bodies have been recovered in Annapurna Rural Municipality and two in Malika Rural Municipality.
Assistant Chief District Officer Kul Prasad Acharya said delays in receiving information from affected areas had also delayed the deployment of security personnel and search-and-rescue operations. Disruptions to electricity, communication and road networks have further hampered the response.
Four days of continuous rainfall, followed by floods and landslides, have disrupted electricity, road and communication services in Myagdi. The Beni-Jomsom, Beni-Darbang, Beni-Pakhapani and Beni-Baglung roads have also been blocked.
