Flash floods along Nepal river destroy houses and trigger urgent safety warnings

A sudden flash flood along the Budhi Gandaki River in central Nepal swept away houses, bridges, and a hydropower project camp on Sunday after a landslide blocked the river upstream in the Gorkha district. Gorkha Chief District Officer Dharmendra Kumar Mishra received word of the major flood at 4:35 am, which came down from Chumnubri Rural Municipality-6 after a landslide above Siuribas blocked the Chumke Khola stream.

Rescue Operations

The Nepalese Army rescued 49 people from the affected areas, though five people remain missing according to district officials, while preparations are underway to send a helicopter for aerial checks. Five to seven houses in the riverbed at Jagat were destroyed, along with Salleri Bazaar, while nearly two dozen houses and four bridges were washed away overall as the river rose sharply with heavy mud and sludge.

Official Warnings

Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority sent an emergency SMS alert telling residents to stay away from the river down to Trishuli Dobhan and move to high ground. The Area Police Office in Arughat used loudspeakers to warn riverside settlements including Chumling, Lokpa, and Jagat Bazaar, where terrified residents fled their homes as the water level rose and the roar of the river echoed from afar.

Context

Nepal experiences severe monsoon and flash flood risks due to its steep terrain and heavy seasonal rains, often leaving mountain communities vulnerable to sudden landslides that dam rivers and trigger destructive downstream surges. The region is still recovering from major floods and landslides that struck border towns with Tibet earlier in the year.