Flash Flood Devastates Nepal’s Budhi Gandaki Valley

A landslide-triggered flash flood in north-central Nepal prompted authorities to evacuate villagers and warn people downstream to move to safer ground on Sunday. A dry landslide at Chumnubri village in Gorkha district, about 100 kilometres west of Kathmandu, blocked the Budhi Gandaki River. The resulting flood swept away homes and sheds, damaged a hydro-electric project camp, and washed away a highway bridge connecting two districts. Gorkha district’s senior bureaucrat, Dharmendra Kumar Mishra, said about a dozen houses and two suspension bridges had been swept away. Five people—two women and three men—were out of contact, although authorities reported no immediate casualties. The army said 49 people, including one foreign national whose nationality was not disclosed, had been rescued. Eighteen workers from the damaged hydro-electric project camp also escaped to safety. Disaster authorities warned residents along the river in Gorkha, Tanahun, Chitwan, East Nawalparasi and West Nawalparasi districts. Army and police rescue personnel reached the area, while officials monitored the situation by helicopter. Authorities remained on alert and urged people in at-risk areas to relocate and assist with search-and-rescue efforts. The incident raised concern because the Budhi Gandaki flows into the Trishuli River, where a glacier collapse caused a catastrophic flood in August. That earlier disaster killed 1,457 people, with thousands still missing. The article reports damage, rescue operations and warnings but does not give a final assessment of casualties or the extent of the current flood.

Nepalese authorities ordered evacuations along the Budhi Gandaki River on Sunday, 11 October, after a sudden flash flood swept away homes and other buildings in the mountainous north-central region. Residents fled to higher ground as the river surged through narrow valleys. Aerial footage released by the Nepal Army showed the force of the floodwaters and people being moved to safety. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority urged communities to remain alert through late Sunday. No deaths had been reported immediately after the flood, but several people were missing. Preliminary accounts indicated that a landslide near Chumchure in Gorkha district blocked the river, forming a temporary barrier. When that barrier gave way, it triggered the flooding. The emergency is unfolding while Nepal continues to recover from devastating floods along its border with China in August. That earlier disaster killed more than 1,400 people, left thousands missing, affected nearly 33,000 people, and damaged or destroyed about 7,500 homes. The government estimates that reconstruction will cost $4.77 billion. Authorities are still working to restore roads and bridges damaged in the August disaster. The disruption has been especially difficult in remote areas, where damaged transport links have impeded aid deliveries. The article thus reports both the immediate evacuation and flood response in Gorkha district and the broader strain on Nepal’s disaster recovery efforts. It does not provide a confirmed casualty count for the latest flood, and the stated landslide cause remains preliminary.

Floodwaters from Nepal’s Budhi Gandaki River swept away around a dozen houses and several suspension bridges in Gorkha district, and damaged part of a hydropower project. The Nepalese army said about 50 people had been rescued from the riverbank. Five people were missing, although no deaths had been reported at the time of publication. A video showed raging water washing away a building complex. In one location, river levels rose from two metres to nearly 8.5 metres within a couple of hours. The flood also swept away a hydrological monitoring station, leaving officials without data from that site. The disaster struck as families and communities were preparing to celebrate Dashain. Residents had to flee their homes, with uncertainty about finding safe shelter and essential supplies. Save the Children was mobilising an emergency response. Its Nepal director, Tara Chettry, said children may have lost their homes, schools and communities, and could still be traumatised by catastrophic floods in August. The cause of the latest flood remained unclear. Possible explanations included a landslide temporarily blocking the river or a tributary, followed by a sudden release of water, or an ice avalanche reported by residents upstream. Experts said this debris flow was smaller and slower than the devastating August floods. Nepal was still recovering from those earlier floods, which struck border towns near Tibet and left more than 1,400 people dead and thousands missing. The Budhi Gandaki is a tributary of the Trishuli River, downstream from another tributary where a glacier collapse caused the earlier disaster.

Nepalese authorities ordered residents living along the Budhi Gandaki River to evacuate on Sunday, 11 October, after a sudden flash flood swept away homes and other buildings in the country’s mountainous north-central region. As the river surged through narrow valleys, villagers fled to higher ground. Aerial footage released by the Nepal Army showed the floodwaters moving between mountains and residents being evacuated. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority urged communities to stay alert through late Sunday. No deaths had been reported immediately after the flooding, but several people were missing. Preliminary accounts indicated that a landslide near Chumchure, in Gorkha district, had blocked the river. The resulting temporary barrier later gave way, releasing water downstream and triggering the flood. The precise impact and the status of those missing were not specified in the report. The emergency comes as Nepal continues to recover from devastating floods along its border with China in August. Those floods killed more than 1,400 people and left thousands missing. Nearly 33,000 people were affected, and about 7,500 homes were damaged or destroyed. The government estimates that reconstruction will cost $4.77 billion. Recovery work from the earlier disaster has focused on restoring damaged roads and bridges. Disrupted transport links have made aid deliveries difficult, particularly in remote areas. The report therefore describes the new evacuation order against a backdrop of ongoing disaster recovery and vulnerability to flooding in Nepal’s mountainous regions.

Nepali authorities urged residents along the Budhi Gandaki River to evacuate on Sunday after a landslide blocked the river and caused flooding in central Nepal. The landslide occurred in Chumnubri village in Gorkha district, about 62 miles west of Kathmandu. The resulting flood swept away about a dozen houses, two suspension bridges, and a highway bridge connecting Gorkha with neighboring Dhading district. A camp at a hydroelectric project was also damaged. Officials reported no casualties in the flooding, though the fast-rising river carried muddy sludge and authorities warned people downstream to get to safety. The army rescued six people from Jagat who were at risk from a landslide, Prime Minister Balendra Shah said. Another 18 workers from the damaged project camp escaped safely. Disaster authorities issued alerts for people in Gorkha, Tanahun, Chitwan, East Nawalparasi, and West Nawalparasi districts, and asked local responders to move people from at-risk areas and support search-and-rescue operations. Army and police rescue teams reached the area and monitored conditions by helicopter. The incident has added concern because the Budhi Gandaki feeds into the Trishuli River system. In August, a glacier collapse caused a catastrophic flood in another tributary, killing 1,457 people, with thousands still missing. The article reports no casualties from the latest flood, but emphasizes the evacuation effort and ongoing monitoring as water levels rise.

Flash flooding along the Budhi Gandaki River in Nepal’s Gorkha district has devastated several settlements, swept away bridges and homes, and prompted rescue operations. Videos from the region show floodwaters tearing through Salleri Bazaar, damaging Jagat Bazaar, and carrying away the Soti Khola Bridge, along with other buildings and infrastructure. Officials say at least 10 people have been reported missing since Sunday morning, though the full extent of the damage remains unclear. The worst-affected settlements include Salleri, Jagat, Dovan and Ghattekhola in northern Gorkha. Preliminary reports indicate that about 35 houses were swept away in Painyu and Bagar, in Ward 3 of Chumnubri Rural Municipality. Six bridges, including motorable and suspension bridges, were destroyed or damaged. Assistant chief district officer Netra Prasad Sharma told ANI that bridges at Arughat, Tripurasundari and Soti-Manbu were among those swept away; a Bailey bridge connecting wards 1 and 3 of Dharche Rural Municipality was also destroyed. A hydropower project was damaged as well. Authorities have not determined what caused the sudden surge. Residents have suggested that a blocked tributary or landslide may have contributed. Nepal has deployed security personnel and helicopters to evacuate people and deliver relief. Prime Minister Balendra Shah said Nepali Army personnel were sent by air and land, while a rapid response team was flown in from Kathmandu. The Army reported that six people had been evacuated. Home minister Sudan Gurung urged people along the river to move to safer areas as water levels continued to fluctuate. Police, the Armed Police Force and local authorities are assisting, and the national disaster authority has urged vulnerable riverside communities to relocate and stay alert. The flooding follows earlier deadly floods in Nepal on August 26. The article says the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli floods killed 1,455 people and left 5,285 missing, compounding the vulnerability of mountain communities and their infrastructure.