Thousands of people have fled to safer places after a massive landslide blocked the flow of Kali Gandaki River in Nepal's northwest.
The landslide, which occurred at Baisari in a Ramche village in the Myagdi district on early Sunday, has buried 25 houses, but no human casualties have been reported yet, according to eKantipur.
Another result from the landslide is a 200-meter increase in water levels, BBC news reported.
The blockage has created a big artificial dam about 150-200m deep, one kilometer long and around 100m wide, the Hindu reported.
"The river is not flowing downstream," Nepal government district officer Tek Bahadur KC told Nepali Times. "The landslide dam could burst any time and sweep away villages. So, we have asked the locals to vacate their houses."
"We used loudspeaker to inform the locals about the blockade of the river and to evacuate somewhere in safe place," District Traffic Police chief Bikash Timalsina told Republica.
Prime Minister Sushil Koirala early Sunday dispatched the Nepal Army to clear the river, but district officer Tek Bahadur said army helicopters have not been able to land near the landslide area, according to Neplai Times.
Nepal's Ministry of Science and Technology has declared "high alert" in the villages and towns on the banks of Kaligandaki River due to continuous landslides that have blocked the River. "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," the Ministry said in a statement, eKantipur reported.
Republica reported that the landslide took place after the ridge caved in the river due to the big cracks and holes it suffered from the April earthquake.
Two powerful earthquakes devastated Nepal on April 25 and May 12, killing more than 8,600 people and injuring 21,000 others.
Take a look at the landslide in the video below.
