At least 16 people have been killed and more than one hundred and half have gone missing in a blizzard in Taitung of kaigaun VDC of Dolpa district. The incident occurred Saturday night.Heavy snowfall on Saturday night buried the people who were sheltering in the tents in course of collecting Yarchagumba, a kind of medicinal herbs.
A report quoted Indra Chaudhari, Assistant Sub Inspector at Dunai Police Station as saying that the team of Yarchagumba gatherers had set up tents at Taitung Lake since the last few days when a blizzard buried them under a blanket of snow and stranded them.
Nanku Budha who arrived at Area Police Office of Kaigaun VDC from Tangtyange Lekh Tueaday morning reported to police about the incident.
According to DSP Naresh Man Shrestha of Mid-western regional police office Surkhet the deceased have been identified as Lal Bahadur Budha, Dhanrupa Budha of Sarmi VDC 9, Deep Bahadur Budha, Bir Bahadur Budha, Khadag Budha, Laxmi Chand Budha, Pati Budha, Dil Bahadur Budha, Amrita Budha, Madhav Budha of Sarmi VDC 8, Rup Dhan Rokay, Ganga Devi Rokaya, Nandawati Rokaya, Lagani Rokaya, Sarina Rokaya of Sarmi VDC 6 and Nanda Kurala of Sarmi VDC 2.
Home Ministry spokesperson Baman Prasad Neupane said that rescue teams in helicopters had already been sent to the site of the mishap to rescue the survivors.
Though the trade of Yarshagumba (Cordyceps sinensis), that grows in the high meadows in the western Himalayan region of Nepal, is banned, it has an international market price of Rs. 250,000 per kg.
A majority of the rural poor and marginalized people from the high mountain areas of the Mid and Far Western Development Regions depend on these herbs for a partial income and health care with large gathering parties scouring the mountainside around this time every year.
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