GORKHA, Oct 12: A sudden flash flood in the Budhigandaki River in northern Gorkha swept away six bridges and around 35 houses, left at least five people missing and damaged several settlements and hydropower project sites on Sunday, prompting a large-scale rescue operation in the mountainous region.
The flood struck early Sunday morning after a landslide near the foothills of Siringe Himal reportedly blocked the Uingulung stream in Chumnubri Rural Municipality-6, creating a temporary dam that later burst and sent a sudden surge of water and debris into the Budhigandaki River.
A police team that inspected the area near Lokpa and Chumling found that the landslide had blocked the stream before the accumulated water broke through the obstruction. Authorities are continuing to investigate the cause and assess the extent of the damage.
The disaster comes just six weeks after a devastating flood along the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli corridor on August 26, which caused widespread damage to infrastructure and settlements, underscoring the vulnerability of Nepal’s mountainous river corridors to sudden flooding.
According to Gorkha Assistant Chief District Officer Netra Prasad Sharma, the flood swept away two motorable bridges and four suspension bridges. The affected structures include bridges at Arughat, Tripurasundari and Soti-Manbu, as well as a Bailey bridge connecting wards 1 and 3 of Dharche Rural Municipality. Footbridges linking Machhikhola with Karauja, Thadobharyang with Jagat, and Ghattekhola with Philim were also reported damaged or swept away.
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Around 35 houses were swept away in Paiyun and Bagar in Chumnubri Rural Municipality-3. Other settlements, including Jagat, Salleri, Dobhan and Ghattekhola, also suffered damage.
A preliminary update released by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said five people—two women and three men—from Chumnubri-6 were missing. The authority reported that 82 people, including nine foreign nationals, had been rescued by four Nepali Army helicopters.
The flood also swept away five sheep sheds near the foothills of Siringe Himal. People who had been staying in the sheds were reported missing, although their identities and conditions remained unclear.
Rescue teams from the Nepali Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force have been deployed to search for missing people and assist those stranded by the flood.
The rescue effort has been complicated by difficult terrain, landslides and the destruction of bridges and roads. Tourists trekking the Manaslu Circuit have been stranded after the flood disrupted trails and washed away bridges, leaving them unable to continue their journeys.
Four hydropower projects under construction along the Budhigandaki River also suffered damage, according to a preliminary assessment by the Independent Power Producers' Association, Nepal (IPPAN).
The 341-megawatt Budhigandaki Hydropower Project, promoted by Times Energy Pvt Ltd, lost its main camp area and some construction equipment. Several houses in the camp area of the 24.5-megawatt Dobhan Khola Hydropower Project were damaged.
At the 30.59-megawatt Yaru Khola Hydropower Project, the flood swept away a Bailey bridge, construction materials and equipment. The 16-megawatt Machhakhola Hydropower Project suffered damage to a Bailey bridge, its access road and a bridge leading to the project site. A detailed assessment of the losses at the four projects is yet to be completed.
Meanwhile, the local administration in Chitwan issued an alert for people living along the Trishuli and Narayani rivers because of the risk of rising water levels downstream.
Through public announcements, authorities urged residents to remain alert and move to safer places. People gathering along riverbanks for funeral rites, conducting business, fishing or swimming were asked to move away from the rivers. Street vendors were also advised against setting up stalls along riverbanks, with the administration warning of a potential flood threat in areas extending to Muglin.
The Nepali Congress urged the government to intensify rescue operations and called on residents in downstream areas to take precautions. In a statement, Acting Chief Secretary Krishna Prasad Dulal asked party members to assist rescue efforts while prioritising their own safety.
Party President Gagan Kumar Thapa separately urged party members returning from the party's general convention to travel safely and called on members near the flood-affected areas to join rescue operations immediately.
Authorities have urged residents to remain vigilant as they continue searching for missing people, assessing damage and monitoring potential hazards in the affected areas.