The avalanche, which began to crack with a normal sound at around 9:00 am on Sunday, took cataclysmic turn by 12.45pm. Although commonly known as Tukuche Peak, the avalance occurred from the top of Mt. Manapathi in Thasang Rural Municpality-2 of Mustang district.
The avalanche occurred in the area above Kowang, Larjung, Naurikot and Boksikhola areas. It caused a lot of panic in the area.
According to Jwar Bhattachan, a Mir Mukhiya of Thasang Rural Municipality-2, Kowang the landslide occurred at around 11:45 on Sunday. According to him, the water pipes and tanks used in the Kowang area have been damaged due to the avalanche and mineral water has to be used for now.
Bhattachan said, “I am now 82 years old. A similar avalanche had occurred in 1954. At that time, three cowsheds and three people were killed. Minor avalanche occurs in the mountains every year. But, I had never seen such a big avalanche after 1954,” he said.
On Monday, youths reached the avalanche affected area, they will return after assessing the damage, Bhattachan said. According to him, even though the condition of the village is normal, there is a fear of another avalanche.
Mir Mukhiya is a very powerful position in Mustang where Mukhiya tradition is still in effect. Mir Jwar Bhattachan is the commander of the 13 other Mukhiyas from Tukuche to the downstream Ghansa of Mustang.
Chief District Officer of Mustang, Netra Prasad Sharma, said that members of the House of Representatives Prem Prasad Tulachan, Gandaki Province Assembly members Mahendra Thakali, Chandra Mohan Gauchan and members of the Security Committee Mustang reached the site and made necessary coordination after receiving the information about the avalanche.
No casualties have been reported so far though the roofs of some houses have been blown off. The risk is not high but the situation is not stable, said CDO Sharma. The situation has become almost normal and the security forces, local youths and stakeholders have also been kept on high alert state, he said.
Prior to this, there was a big avalanche in 1974 but that was not so big, said Nara Prasad Hirachan, ward chairman of Thasang Rural Municipality-2.
Hirachan, 60, said, “People are scared, there is no peace of mind, as the risk is not over yet, even though it looks normal from the downstream.” Although it has been confirmed that 14 yaks have died so far, the details of others are yet to come. Altogether 150 yaks have been missing in the incident.
“It has been 22 years since I started living here but I have never experienced such a big avalanche and this kind of dread till now,” said Khim Bahadur Gurung, Principal of Jana Adarsh Amar Singh Secondary School.
He said that while the study was going on, the information about the avalanche came by phone. We tried to get out of the house in a normal way to remain safe. Seven students and four teachers were injured while fleeing the incident. Class 10 student Anuska Khatri, teachers Birendra Lamichhane and Anu Deshar have been to Pokhara for treatment on Monday after receiving primary treatment at Mustang District Hospital Jomsom, said Principal Gurung.
According to Gurung, those who were injured in the avalanche on Sunday have returned home after receiving treatment.
According to Police Inspector Pratap Poudel of the District Police Office, Mustang, the avalanche was so big that it had broken over 200 tress there. According to Inspector Poudel, following the big avalanche two other small scale avalanches had occurred since Sunday morning, he said.
Maniram Pokhrel, producer of film Kabaddi-4, whose film suiting unit was at Naurikot, said that even though Mustang is a very attractive place for the foreigners and domestic tourists, the region has its own hardships and stories of agony.
The filming site of Kabaddi-4, which is being filmed under Pokhrel, was at Naurikot. Also on Sunday, there was a schedule of visual filming by artists including Dayahang Rai, Saugat Malla, Buddhi, Bijay and Niruna Magar.
Producer Pokhrel said that even though they had been working disregarding the small scale avalanches since the morning, everyone has been affected after the avalanche took a vast shape.
Source : TRN,
