Flash Flood Devastates Nepal’s Gorkha District

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.

Floodwaters from the Budhi Gandaki River swept away around a dozen houses and several suspension bridges in Nepal’s central Gorkha district on Sunday, and damaged part of a hydropower project. The army said about 50 people had been rescued from the riverbank. Five people were missing, though no deaths had been reported at the time of publication. A video showed powerful water surging down a valley and washing away a building complex. Officials said the river rose rapidly at one location, from two metres to nearly 8.5 metres in a couple of hours. The flood also swept away a hydrological monitoring station, leaving authorities without data from that site. The cause remains uncertain. Possible explanations include a landslide temporarily blocking the river or a tributary before the water burst through, or an ice avalanche observed upstream. Experts said the resulting debris flow was smaller and slower than the catastrophic flash floods of August. Nepal was already on high alert and recovering from those earlier floods, which struck border towns with Tibet and left more than 1,400 people dead and thousands missing. The latest flooding occurred as families and communities prepared to mark Dashain, a major festival in Nepal. Residents were forced to flee, with many uncertain where they could find safe shelter and essential supplies. Save the Children said it was mobilising an emergency team. The organisation’s Nepal director, Tara Chettry, warned that children may have lost homes, schools and communities and could still be traumatised by the August disaster. The Budhi Gandaki is a tributary of the Trishuli River, downstream from another tributary where a glacier collapse caused the previous disaster.

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.