Villages Evacuated as Flash Flood From Budhi Gandaki River Hits Northern Nepal

Kathmandu: Residents along the Budhi Gandaki river in north-central Nepal fled to higher ground on Sunday after a debris-laden flash flood destroyed homes and infrastructure in Gorkha district, authorities said. No casualties had been reported so far.

The flood struck in the early hours, with villagers in settlements such as Chumling and Lokpa reporting loud roaring sounds from the river from around 4 am. Tourists staying in local hotels also fled. Home Minister Sudan Gurung said more than 35 houses and several bridges, including the one linking Nyakchet and Philim bazaar, had been swept away, and that helicopters were deployed for rescue, relief distribution and evacuations as the river continued to rise. Officials also said the surge damaged a hydropower project, and the area lies on the popular Manaslu Circuit trekking route, complicating travel.

The cause was still being determined. Authorities said a dry landslide in Chumnubri village may have blocked the river, triggering the downstream flood, while residents suspected that a blockage on the Syar stream, a tributary, could be responsible. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority issued alerts for communities along the river, and police used loudspeakers to urge people to move away from the banks.

District chief administrator Dharmendra Kumar Mishra said villagers living downstream had been asked to evacuate. Alerts covered Gorkha, Tanahun and Chitwan districts.

The Budhi Gandaki is a tributary of the Trishuli River, downstream from another tributary where an ice rock avalanche caused a catastrophic flood in August, which killed 1,457 people, with thousands still reported missing. The latest flood adds to pressure on a country already facing a daunting reconstruction challenge after the disaster.