Chorkhola landslide disrupts Rapti Highway
**EDS, YEARENDERS 2024: EDITOR'S PICK OF TOP 50 IMAGES OF 2024** Wayanad : Rescue workers carry the body of a victim as search operations continue following landslides in Mundakai, Chooralmala area, Wayanad district, Kerala, southern India, 31 July 2024. The death toll of multiple landslides that hit Kerala's Wayanad district on 30 July has risen to 158, according to the State Revenue Department. A two-day statewide mourning period was announced on 30 July. (EPA-EFE/TP BINU VIA PTI) (PTI12_31_2024_000148A)
A landslide in Chorkhola, which is next to the districts of Salyan and Dang, has caused the Rapti Highway to close. Due to the continuous rains and a landslide that occurred at Chorkhola, Kapurkot Rural Municipality-3, the Kapurkot-Dang road segment is currently completely closed. The Salyan District Police Office reports that since 9:55 p.m. on Thursday, landslides have been generating traffic congestion on the road. The road has been in the process of being reopened since 6 AM on Friday, but clearing the debris from the landslide has been difficult due to prolonged rain.
The Kapurkot Rural Municipality’s chairperson, Durga Pun, stated that the road should be able to reopen in two to three hours when the landslide stops. He stated that efforts are being made to remove the debris from the landslide using machinery from the Road Division Office. Landslides have long been a problem during the rainy season in the Salyan-Dang section of the Rapti Highway. Because transportation operations are frequently disrupted, travel has become increasingly dangerous. Landslides have left hundreds of cars, both short and long distance, stuck on the roads.
