Picture courtesy: Royal Bhutan Helicopter Services Limited
Ten Cordyceps collectors from Laya lost their lives after their temporary camp at Ri-Drupzhi near Tshari-Jathang between Laya and Lingzhi was washed away by landslides at around 1 AM today. Five people were also seriously injured during the incident and evacuated to the national referral hospital. They are all in stable condition. The people had stayed there for cordyceps collection since 17th May.
All the people are from Laya Gewog in Gasa Dzongkhag. According to the Gewog administration, around 19 DeSuups including Laya Gewog Mangmi left for rescue works and are expected to reach the site by late today evening.
One of the cordyceps collectors reported the incident to Laya Gup over a phone call at around 3 AM today.
As per sources, around 30 people camped at the site where the incident occurred. They had set up 18 tents and 12 were reportedly washed away by the landslide.
According to sources, six bodies have been recovered so far which will be brought to Gasa tomorrow. The bodies couldn’t be airlifted today due to bad weather condition.
