Sandakpur Rural Municipality of North Eelam, which is connected to the border with Darjeeling in India, is also a tourist destination. This place, which attracts local and foreign tourists, is now drowning in tears of disaster.

All the five wards of Sandakpur Rural Municipality were affected by the incessant rains on October 18 and 19 and the heavy landslides that followed. The entire ward was affected by landslides along with Ari Ghopte rains.

Dozens of houses were swept away by landslides. Seven local people were also swept away.

Everyone was in the joy of Dasain. But disaster turned that joy into grief in a moment. 66-year-old Harimaya Rai and her 43-year-old son Bhim Bahadur Rai of Sandakpur-1 Chang were taken to the place where they were sleeping.

Until the previous day, there was no light in the village of Sandakpur.

that night Ward no. 3 Tari's mother-daughter-71-year-old Sharda Sedhain and 50-year-old Taradevi Sedhain were also killed in the landslide. Ward no. 4 Shekhar Rai (45) of Bhirgaon and Rai (46) of Devi, and ward no. 5 Pravesh Gurung, 24 years old from Majhuwa, was also crushed by the landslide.

The road is broken, the connection is lost

The road network and connection connecting the rural municipality with the neighboring municipalities was broken with the landslide. There was no immediate rescue of the dead, injured and victims. Which made the entire village captive by landslides, for a long time.

"Even now, the condition of the road is the same, the whole village is in darkness," village head Tularam Gurung said in a low voice, "work is being done at a fast pace for the construction of roads and electricity."

"Sandakpur is now in complete darkness," President Gurung said, "we are trying to give light to the people soon."

Ward no. There were no casualties in 2, but 40 houses were partially damaged. The displaced people of those 40 houses are now living in the houses of their relatives and neighbors. The families of the deceased are also staying with their relatives and neighbors and doing the work of the deceased.

'When night falls, children are crying, even when the wind blows,' said local Leela Bhattarai, 'the villagers are still scared when they remember that night.' The amount was made available to the family of the deceased on Thursday after the decision of the municipal executive meeting.

"We have personally gone and handed over the money to the families," said Chairman Gurung, "Additional assistance sent by the state government has also been distributed to the victims."

"We are collecting details of the damage, detailed details will come in a few days," he said.

Sandakpur is now silent. It's not like it was before — no more smiling back at the mountains. There are mounds of cries and unfulfilled dreams lost in landslides.