The landslide that cascaded down from above a hill at 2 am buried Udaya Khadka’s 37 – year – old wife Durga Kumar, 15 – year – old daughter Shova and two sons, Anish and Manish, aged 10 and 8.
Khadka, a daily wage earner in Sindhulimadhi bazaar, had been living in a residential building built on a land property owned by the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), Sindhuli Chapter.
Udaya managed to flee to safety when the landslide came down over the residential building. He blamed delayed rescue – despite his shouts for help – for the deaths of his family members.
“The landslide struck at 2 am. I was sleeping near the door while my wife and children were sleeping near the wall. I ran immediately after the landslide struck, but they couldn’t escape. I shouted for help at 2 am, but as the downpour was heavy no one heard me; at 4 am neighbours informed the police,” Khadka said.
The bodies of the deceased family members have been kept at the Sindhuli hospital. The Nepal Police, Armed Police Force (APF) and Nepal Army personnel tried to rescue the stricken family.