The Karnali Highway has been blocked for two days due to continuous rainfall causing landslides, leaving numerous passengers stranded.
Since Friday, heavy rainfall has triggered landslides in three sections of the highway in Kalikot district, preventing the road from reopening. Efforts to clear the debris are still ongoing as of Sunday morning. The section of the highway in Dailekh district has been cleared and reopened, as reported by the Karnali Province Police.
SP Binod Sharma, the spokesperson for the Provincial Police Office, detailed the affected areas: Shubhakalika Rural Municipality-1 (Gagane Khola), Khadachakra Municipality-2 (Uml Bazaar), and Tilagufa Municipality-6 (Timure). “So far, there have been no human casualties in Karnali. Three sections of the Karnali Highway remain blocked,” SP Sharma told Onlinekhabar. “Work to remove the landslides is ongoing.”
The blockage has left vehicles travelling between Surkhet and Upper Karnali stranded along the route, causing significant inconvenience to passengers. Authorities are working diligently to clear the highway and restore normal traffic flow.