Sindhupalchowk, harayiyeko sabai mrit ghoshit, pahiro ma mritak ko sankya 156 BAN SANGHU: Sindhupalchowk district administration today declared all missing persons in Ban Sanghu landslide dead, as rescuers gave up any hope of finding more bodies from the debris. Rescuers were able to find only 33 bodies in five days while more than 123 are still trapped under the rubble. “All missing have been declared dead to allow their families to perform rituals,” SSP Subodh Ghimire said while calling off search operation. “Efforts will now be diverted to relief and rescue work rather than searching for decomposed bodies,” he added. Dozens of families have been displaced from upper belt in the last two days as the recurring landslides have hit more settlements in Mangkha VDC. Assistant CDO Deep Raj Regmi said more families were asked to shift to safer places. According to him, technicians and Nepali Army personnel were also trying to ensure controlled flow of water from the artificial lake in the Sunkoshi River. “One explosive was detonated today and the efforts will continue tomorrow as well,” he added. Raj Kumar Shrestha, a member of Ban Sanghu Youth Club, accused the authorities of negligence in relief distribution. “Real victims have not received relief till today,” he claimed. Tamang families who lost more than 71 persons, leaving only 13 survivors in 18 houses, also complained of not getting relief. Not a single body of Tamang has been recovered. Local Development Officer Yubraj Kandel, however, said his team was identifying the ‘real victims’. “Eighty five persons have got Rs 40,000 each for funeral expenses of their near ones, while more than 180 displaced families have also been given relief material,” he said. Minister for Physical Planning Bimalendra Nidhi and Director General at Department of Roads Devendra Karki visited the area to find ways to resume trade traffic along the Araniko highway. Nearly two-kilometre section of the highway was damaged or waterlogged in the incident. काठमाडौ, श्रावण २१ - सि