Earthquake in Nepal: Landslide blocks river in Nepal, raises fears of flood

Kathmandu, May 24: A massive landslide in western Nepal has blocked a river that also flows through India, forcing thousands of people to flee to safety and triggering fears of a flood, officials said today. The Kali Gandaki River in Myagdi district, about 140km north-west of the capital, Kathmandu, has created a deep and growing new lake after the landslide overnight. Nepal Police in their twitter account said that the water level in the artificial dam, created after the blockage of the river, has risen by 150 meters.There are no reports of casualties. Authorities have deployed army in the area. Ministry of Science and Technology has declared ‘high alert’ in the settlements along the banks of river owing to continuous landslides. ”A landslide based dam has been formed at Kaligandaki river approximately 10 km upstream of Beni Bazar. Residents living downstream in Galeshwor Bazaar and Beni Bazaar need to be in high alert,” a warning in the Ministry’s website said.