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Landslide blocks river, forces people from homes in northwest Nepal

In this photo taken on May 5, 2015, Nepalese residents displaced by an earthquake gather alongside makeshift shelters on the banks of a river in Singati, Khare Village Development Committee, in Dolkha district. (© AFP)

Thousands of people have been forced from their homes in northwestern Nepal following a landslide that blocked a river, raising fears of a devastating flash flood.

On Sunday, residents living along the banks of Kaligandaki River were moved to higher grounds amid fears that the river could burst and send flash floods through the area north of Beni Bazar, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) northwest of the capital, Kathmandu.

According to Nepalese government administrator Yam Bahadur Chokhal, the landslide blocked the flow of the river, which led to the accumulation of water about two kilometers (1.2 miles) along the river.

Soldiers and police officers are working in the area providing aid to the villagers.

On April 25, a tremor measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale hit Nepal, killing thousands and destroying over half a million homes, making it the country’s deadliest quake in more than 80 years.

Nepalese police and army personnel clear rubble at a temple in Kathmandu on May 21, 2015, after multiple earthquakes struck the Himalayan country. (© AFP)

On May 12, a second 7.3-magnitude temblor also struck the Himalayan country, claiming the lives of dozens and triggering landslides in the affected areas.

According to the latest official figures, the death toll from the two quakes has reached nearly 8,700. Some 16,800 others were also injured during the disasters.

YH/HSN


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