Nepal flash floods: Galchhi rebuilds after glacial collapse kills 650+

Galchhi,UPDATED: Aug 29, 2026 20:14 IST

Residents in Nepal's flood-hit Galchhi were trying to recover on Saturday, three days after flash floods caused by an ice-rock avalanche following a glacial collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border tore through towns and villages along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers. The disaster damaged key infrastructure, washed away hydropower stations in central Nepal and pushed the death toll past 650, while more than 2,400 people remained missing as rescue operations continued amid intermittent rain in several affected areas.

Among those affected was 25-year-old Sonu Adhikari, whose family escaped their home moments before it was swallowed by floodwaters. Officials said Galchhi saw no loss of life because of prior warnings, but the town suffered extensive damage, with homes, roads and a bridge hit by the flood.

"It was a matter of two minutes," Adhikari said as she recalled how her parents collected the family's important legal documents and left their home of over two decades in a vehicle. "Within about two minutes after my parents, elder sister and younger brother left in our vehicle, our entire house was submerged by floodwaters. The current was extremely powerful. A temple behind our house was also completely submerged," she said.

"Gone... My 24 years of memories were destroyed in two minutes," said Adhikari, who works at a consultancy in Kathmandu and is also pursuing a Master's degree in Psychology. She was in Kathmandu when the disaster struck on Wednesday. She said her parents did not initially take the warning to leave seriously because flooding was common in the riverbank town. But after her uncle called again and insisted that a massive flood was coming, the family gathered important documents and drove away.

About 50 km northwest of Kathmandu, Galchhi is a rural municipality in Dhading district of Bagmati province, in a hilly area ranging from 2,000 feet to 3,500 feet. The Prithvi Highway, a major road linking Kathmandu with other parts of the country, passes through the town at the confluence of the Trishuli river and the Mahesh Khola tributary. A portion of the Ghatbesi bridge over the Trishuli was washed away, disrupting connectivity in the area. Three days after the flash flood, Dhading, one of the worst-hit districts, was facing a large rescue and rehabilitation effort.

"Fortunately, there has been no loss of life or casualties here because we had alerted the people beforehand," Major Bidur Raj Giri told PTI Videos. He said the floods had caused extensive damage and the Nepal Army was helping affected residents recover belongings from damaged houses while rescue operations continued. In Galchhi, which has a population of around 24,000, several residents lost their homes and their belongings, including essential supplies. In the Gajuri area, work was under way to restore roads, with police removing vehicles trapped in debris and Nepal Army teams helping residents clear mud from their homes. "Keeping in mind the difficulties faced by the people, we are helping them retrieve their belongings from the affected houses," Major Giri said.

Pointing to her damaged house, Adhikari said, "Many people had asked why our house was built near the river. But my family had actually built the house far away from the river." She said floods had hit the area before, but never with such force. "I am 25-year-old now, and I have spent 24 years of my life in this house. I have so many memories associated with this house. I grew up here," she said. "We put all our effort, money and emotions into this house, but the flood did not even take two minutes to take everything away." Adhikari said she had taken leave from work and returned to help clean the house with her parents, while relatives were also helping and the family was staying at her elder uncle's home. She said many neighbours were in a worse situation because they had nothing left, and claimed that her family had not received any government relief so far.

Purna Prasad Dulal, the Chief Administrative Officer of Galchhi Rural Municipality, said around 250 families had been identified as affected in a preliminary assessment. "We have prepared relief packages for the affected families and are distributing them in the affected areas," he said. The packages include rice, beaten rice, noodles, biscuits, blankets and drinking water. A separate package containing lentils, rice, sugar, cooking oil and utensils is also scheduled to be distributed. Dulal said several houses had been submerged or swept away and many others were filled with mud and debris. "Removing the mud and debris is a major challenge, and we are working on it," he said, adding that road connectivity in the area was restored on Friday. The local administration has also mobilised volunteers with the support of political parties to help with the clean-up.

As rescue, relief and clean-up work continued in central Nepal, Galchhi residents were trying to rebuild after a flood that wiped out homes and belongings within minutes. Adhikari said only a few villagers were working on rehabilitation at present. "So we need more people. The more hands we have, the faster the work will be completed," she said.

With PTI Inputs

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