Nepal

The traffic movement along the Muglin-Pokhara section of the Prithvi Highway has been disrupted after a section of the road collapsed on Sunday morning.

As a result, hundreds of vehicles on the way to various destinations have been stranded.

According to the Area Police Office at Ambukhaireni, the road has been blocked since 10 am.

The road stretch, located at Khani Khola in Ambukhaireni Rural Municipality-2, collapsed as road workers tried to make a diversion, said Deputy Superintendent Yuvraj Khadka of the District Police Office, Tanahun. The bridge over Khani Khola was also affected during the widening of the highway.

Small vehicles have been helped to take a detour through an alternative route, DSP Khadka said. “There is a big hole in the road. Efforts are on to reopen the highway,” Khadka said, adding that it could take some time to fill the chasm with soil.

The project – to widen the 80km Muglin-Pokhara road stretch to four lanes – that started in May last year has been making slow progress.