A flood on the Budhi Gandaki River in central Nepal destroyed houses and bridges and damaged part of a hydropower project, leaving five people missing, the BBC reported on October 11. No deaths had been reported so far.
The disaster struck a country already on high alert. Two months earlier, catastrophic floods hit towns along Nepal's border with Tibet, killing more than 1,400 people and leaving thousands missing. The Budhi Gandaki feeds into the Trishuli river, downstream from another tributary where a glacier collapse triggered the August disaster.
The army said around 50 people had been rescued from the riverbanks in Gorkha district.
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, the floodwaters carried off about a dozen houses and several suspension bridges. They also damaged a hydroelectric project and washed away some of its construction equipment.
At one location, the river rose from two metres to nearly 8.5m within a couple of hours, officials said. Video footage showed the torrent rushing through a valley and sweeping away an entire complex of buildings.
"Our hydrological station was swept away and we are not getting any data from that location," said Binod Parajuli, a meteorologist who works with the Nepalese government.
The cause of the flood has not been established. One explanation is that a landslide dammed the river or one of its tributaries until the trapped water broke free. Others pointed to accounts from residents upstream who said they had witnessed an ice avalanche. Specialists said the debris flow was considerably smaller and slower than the flash floods of August.
The flood hit as families in Gorkha were getting ready for the first day of Dashain, one of the most important festivals in the Nepali calendar. Many residents have fled their homes and do not know where they will find safe shelter or basic supplies. Save the Children is sending an emergency team to the area the BBC reports.