At least eight people have died due to a severe diarrhea outbreak in Doti district in far-western Nepal recently.

The latest victim of the waterborne disease was a 12-year-old kid who died while receiving treatment for diarrhea at a local health post on Saturday evening.

According to the District Public Health Office (DPHO), altogether 401 people have been sick due to severe bout of diarrhea in various villages in the district in the last one-and-a- half month as locals have been terrorized seeing the authorities failing to contain the disease.

According to Monday's nepalnews.com report, seven elderly people had died in a Kandamandau village some two months ago due to a mysterious disease. Although the DPHO still denies that diarrhea had anything to do with the deaths, locals claim that the elderly had died of the waterborne disease.