Chandrapur (Rautahat), Oct 6: A 10-year-old boy was swept away by the Bakaiya River in Rajpur municipality-8, Rautahat, this afternoon.
He was rescued by security personnel 40 minutes after the incident but was pronounced dead upon arrival at the Rajpur Primary Health Centre, said Deputy Superintendent of Police Raju Karki, spokesperson for the District Police Office, Rautahat.
The deceased has been identified as local Arwaz Miya. The incident occurred around 2:00 pm when the boy went to the river to bathe.
In a separate incident, two girls, identified as Arati Kumari, 12, and Antima Kumari, 11, of Karkachtole, Dewahi Gonahi Municipality-6, went missing this afternoon after being swept away by seasonal floodwaters while in a paddy field. Search operations have been intensified.
Meanwhile, Rautahat district has reported significant damage due to incessant rains the district experienced on Saturday and Sunday (October 4–5). According to police, a total of 412 families have been displaced by flooding from the Bagmati River in the east and the Lalbakaiya River in the west. Gaur, the district headquarters, has become heavily waterlogged.
The highest number of displaced families (236) is from Durga Bhagwati rural municipality. Floodwaters entered over 1,000 homes in the area, with Pacharukhi (Ward No. 4) and Bardhawa (Ward No. 5) among the hardest-hit. Paddy fields across the region have suffered extensive damage.
In Rajdevi municipality, which borders Gaur, 89 families have been displaced, with Wards 8 and 9 being the most affected. Other municipalities affected by the flooding include Rajpur, Gujara, Katahariya, Ishnath, Madhav Narayan, Gadhimai, Brindaban, Maulapur, Phatuwa Bijayapur, and Yamunamai rural municipality.
Floodwaters have disrupted major and inner road connectivity throughout the district. Roads from Gaur Customs to BP Chowk are submerged, and the main road connecting Maulapur to Harnahiya-Kalaiya via Sonarniya has been swept away, halting all traffic along the route, police confirmed.
Chief District Officer Binod Kumar Khadka reported that several government office buildings in Gaur have been waterlogged due to the overflow from the Bagmati and Bakaiya rivers. Although instructions have been issued to resume office operations from Tuesday, it is unlikely that service seekers will be able to access the offices.
The affected offices include the District Administration Office, Gaur Municipality Office, Revenue Office, Infrastructure Office, Survey Office, District Court, Government Attorney’s Office, Customs Office, District Election Office, and District Post Office, among others.
The Hajamaniya Office of the Armed Police Force has also become completely waterlogged, said APF Superintendent of Police Ramhari Adhikari.
So far, one person has drowned in the district due to flooding, and three others have died from lightning strikes during the recent monsoon rains. (RSS)