Surkhet,Bheri nadile ekai parivaar ka 13 jana bagayo. SURKHET: Thirteen members of a family were swept away by the swollen Bheri River in Tatapani of Gulfa region in Surkhet, after heavy downpour on Thursday night. Only one member of the family, Dharma Tamata, 15, could be rescued by the locals. Dharma was rescued three kilometres away from his residence. Whereabouts of none of his other family members are known, said Devraj Jaishi, a local, who was involved in rescuing Dharma. According to Jaishi, Dharma’s 46-year-old mother Jhyapi, brothers Mohan, 12, Dirgha, 9, 18-year-old sister Ambakala, uncle Sarjan, 45, aunt Kaushila, 40, cousins Ekraj, 12, Prem, 10, Rabi, 8, sisters-in-law Mandira, 18, and Bhadrakala,19, Mandira’s 10-month-old son and Bhadrakala’s son Dhanraj, 2, have been missing after being swept away. Dharma’s father Dabal and a cousin, Janak, work were not at home on the fateful night as they work in India. Jaishi said Dharma was lying unconscious, trapped in tree trunks in the swollen river, when the locals rescued him. His body was swollen and was rushed to local Babiyachaur Health Post for medical treatment. He regained consciousness after two days. “He keeps asking about his family but we have not yet told him about them,” said Jaishi. According to Jaishi, people from 46 households of Gulfa region were swept away in the flood. As many as 29 others, apart from Dharma’s kin, have also gone missing. Four members of Dilli Singh BK’s family, including his daughters Kalpana, 15, Gauri, 12 and Pooja, 9, and Dilli himself are out of contact since the night the Bheri River wreaked havoc. His wife, Maiti, was, however, saved and is at her parents’ house. Seven members of another family of Tatapani have also gone missing. According to a local, Purna Regmi’s wife Laxmi, 38 , daughter Geeta, 15, sister-in-law Laxmi, 34, her sons Kamal,13, Dirgha, 9, daughter Bhagawati, 11, and niece Pooja, 7, have gone missing. Purna and his brother were in India on that fateful night. Four persons, including Jwara Singh Khatri of Tatapani, Bachchi, and five persons, including Aaitiraji of Babiyachaur, are also missing. Jaishi said 122 houses of three wards of Tatapani VDC were swept away in the flood. In Babiyachaur VDC, 81 houses were swept away, while 15 locals of the VDC are out of contact.