Landslide on Koshi's course; 10m-high wall of water expected to hit Bihar; evacuation in progress

Patna, Kathmandu: Massive evacuation work is in progress in northern Bihar following a massive landslide that claimed the life of 8 people and left 150 missing. The landslide hurled rocks and mud across the course of Sun Koshi River leading to the formation of large lake in Nepal's Sindhupalchowk district. It is being feared that once the blockade is removed it will hurl a 10m-high wall of water towards the lower lying areas of Nepal and Bihar. State and national disaster response forces from Purinia, Darbhanga and Patna have been rushed to the spot to facilitate evacuation. Around 25,000 people living in 26 panchayats within the Koshi embankment have been at the focus of the evacuation exercise. In 2008, a breach in the Koshi River had brought widespread destruction to the area leading to one of the worst floods seen in state's history. More than a hundred people were killed and more than 3 million were left displaced. The floods also destroyed more than 8,00,000 acres of cropland.