The woman swept away by a flooded stream in Panauti of Kavre on Monday has still not been found.
Around 6 p.m. on Monday, 33-year-old Renuka Giri was swept away by the Dhalmale Thado Khola near Subba Gaun in Panauti Municipality-5.
Kavre was hit by incessant rainfall from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday.
According to Prem Prasai, chief of the Armed Police Force (APF) No. 15 Battalion, Kavre, Giri was working in the field at the time.
“She was working in the field while it was raining. Worried about what the children might be doing, she started walking back from the field,” SP Prasai quoted an eyewitness as saying. “Another woman warned her not to go as it was raining then. But at that moment, as she stepped on loose soil, the flood swept her away.”
According to him, the stream had flooded with debris and mud.
SP Prasai said that the flood swept her away as soon as her foot got caught in the floodwater.
Police and APF were informed only half an hour after the incident, which also caused difficulties in the rescue efforts, he added.
“By the time we were informed, about half an hour had already passed. Within five to seven minutes of receiving the information, our team reached the site and started the search,” he said.
Renuka had still not been found by Tuesday afternoon. The APF team had searched for her until 9 p.m. on Monday.
The search resumed early Tuesday at 6 a.m.
“Yesterday, the stream was flooded with debris. We searched until 9 p.m. but couldn’t find her. Today, we started the search again at 6 a.m.,” he said. “We are also checking whether she might have been carried toward Roshi or Phurkot.”
Superintendent of Police Komal Shah, chief of the District Police Office, Kavre, said that teams from Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and the Nepal Army are searching for Giri.
He said the search is ongoing in possible locations.
“The search is being carried out in areas where she might have been swept away. She could be buried near the banks or stuck somewhere,” SP Shah said. “The search is being carried out keeping this in mind.”
Since there is a possibility that Giri could have been carried elsewhere, the police have already communicated with subordinate police posts.
SP Shah said that they have also written to the District Police Office, Sindhuli, regarding the matter.
APF SP Prasai said that they are digging through layers of mud deposited at various points along the stream in search of Giri.
“We dug up 12-15 suspicious spots where she might be buried, but we haven’t found her yet,” he said.
Meanwhile, preparations are underway to convene a meeting of the security committee to discuss Monday’s flood, he added.
