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A debris-laden flash flood on the Budhi Gandaki in Nepal's Gorkha district swept away houses, bridges and damaged a hydropower project. With the cause still unclear, authorities launched rescues and warned riverside residents to move to safer ground.
A debris-laden flash flood on the Budhi Gandaki in Nepal's Gorkha district swept away houses.
A debris-laden flash flood in the Budhi Gandaki River swept away more than 35 houses and bridges and damaged a hydropower project in Nepal’s Gorkha district early Sunday, prompting authorities to evacuate riverside residents as rescue operations continued.
The Nepali Army has deployed personnel by air and land, while helicopters have been used to rescue people, distribute relief and evacuate residents from vulnerable areas.
The flood struck around 4 am in Chumnubri Rural Municipality in Gandaki Province, forcing residents to flee to safer locations. Authorities have urged people living along the river to remain alert and move to higher ground as the water level continues to rise.
Netra Prasad Sharma, Assistant Chief District Officer at the Gorkha District Administration Office, said preliminary reports indicated that around three dozen houses had been swept away in Chumnubri Rural Municipality.
The Gorkha district administration has advised riverside residents to remain vigilant and relocate to safe places, Sharma said.
According to Ram Kumar Gurung, ward chair of Chumnubri Rural Municipality-3, the flood swept away houses in Salleri, Paiyuka and the riverbed area of Jagat. It also destroyed a suspension bridge connecting the ward.
No casualties had been reported so far, Gorkha Chief District Officer Dharmendra Kumar Mishra said.
Nepal Prime Minister Balen Shah said on X that the Nepali Army had deployed a contingent through air and land routes for search and rescue operations following the flood.
“Following the flood in the Budhi Gandaki River, a contingent of the Nepali Army has been deployed via air and land routes for search and rescue operations, and six individuals have been airlifted from the Jagat area, which is at risk of landslides,” Shah said.
He added that the composite quick reaction team stationed in Kathmandu had also been deployed to the affected area by air.
Home Minister Sudan Gurung said the flood had also swept away the bridge connecting Nyakchet and Philim bazaar in Chumnubri-3. With the river continuing to rise, helicopters had been deployed for rescue operations, relief distribution and evacuations.
Nepal Police, the Armed Police Force and local authorities have also been mobilised to conduct rescue and relief operations.
Authorities have been using loudspeakers to warn people living along the river and urge them to move to safer locations.
The sudden flooding caused significant damage to the market in Chumnubri Rural Municipality-3, Deputy Chair Laxmi Gurung said.
She compared the Budhi Gandaki flood to the devastating Bhote Koshi flood in Rasuwa district, according to the Online Khabar news portal.
“The Budhi Gandaki flood is reminiscent of the Bhote Koshi flood. It has washed away dozens of houses. It is not possible to say the exact extent of the damage right now,” she said.
Residents fled riverside settlements, including Chumling and Lokpa, after hearing loud roaring sounds from nearby streams from around 4 am. Tourists staying at local hotels also rushed to safer places, residents said.
Ram Kumar Gurung said the flood arrived so early that residents could not retrieve their belongings before fleeing.
“The flood came early in the morning, and we could not even take out our belongings,” he said. “Everyone fled as soon as we heard the flood was coming.”
He added that authorities had not yet established the full extent of the damage.
Sherap Gurung, a resident of Lokpa, said the sound of the stream suggested that the water flow had repeatedly stopped and resumed before the flood struck.
“Because it was dark, we could not tell whether the stream had been blocked or a landslide had occurred. It had not rained either,” he said.
Authorities have not yet established what triggered the sudden surge in the Budhi Gandaki River.
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.
The lack of rainfall, according to local resident Sherap Gurung, added to the uncertainty surrounding the cause of the sudden rise in water levels.
The precise extent of the damage remains unknown as rescue teams continue their operations and authorities assess the affected areas.
The latest flooding has revived concerns following the devastating flood that struck the Bhote Koshi River in Nepal’s Rasuwa district on August 26.
According to the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), floods in the Rasuwa and Trishuli River areas claimed 1,455 lives, while 5,285 people remained missing.
The comparison with the earlier disaster has heightened concerns among residents in the Budhi Gandaki river basin as authorities continue to warn communities about the rising water level.
With more than 35 houses and bridges reportedly swept away, a hydropower project damaged and rescue operations under way, officials are yet to determine the full scale of the destruction caused by Sunday’s flash flood.
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