Kathmandu, Oct 11: Nepali authorities on Sunday rescued nearly 50 people and urged the villagers to move to safer places after a flash flood in the Budhi Gandaki River swept away more than a dozen houses, bridges and also damaged two hydropower projects in the Gorkha district.
However, at least 10 people remain missing but there were no immediate reports of casualties.
The Gorkha district administration has urged people by the riverside to stay alert and shift to safe places, Netra Prasad Sharma, Assistant Chief District Officer of Gorkha District Administration Office, said.
The flood in the Gandaki Province swept away houses in Salleri, Paiyuka and the riverbed at Jagat, as well as a suspension bridge connecting the ward, Ram Kumar Gurung, ward chair of Chumnubri Rural Municipality-3, was quoted as saying by the Kathmandu Post.
The flood struck Nepal’s Budhi Gandaki River, roughly a month and a half after the devastating Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river floods on August 26, 2026.
Nepal is still recovering from the devastating flood in August along the mountainous Nepal-China border that left more than 1,400 people dead and thousands more missing. The cause of the sudden surge in the Budhi Gandaki River remained unclear. Residents suspect that the Syar stream, a tributary of the Budhi Gandaki between Lokpa and Chumling in Chumnubri-6, may have been blocked, triggering the flood.
Security agencies, including Nepal Army personnel, have been mobilised to conduct search and rescue works in the flood-affected area of Gorkha district, according to officials. The Nepal Army on Sunday rescued four dozen (48) people from the flood hit areas. The people stranded by the flood have been airlifted to the safer places. Four helicopters and ground forces have been mobilised for the rescue operation.
According to administrative officer of Gorkha District Administration Office, Chuda Nidhi Tiwari, there was one kilometer long landslide in Chumnubri. (PTI)