Flash floods swept through central Nepal on Sunday, washing away about 45 houses, damaging bridges and hydropower projects, and leaving at least five people missing, according to disaster management officials.
The flooding struck Gorkha district after a landslide blocked a river before the accumulated water broke through, triggering a surge of debris-filled water through nearby communities.
“What we know is that a dry landslide had blocked the river and then it burst to cause the flood,” national disaster agency chief Dharam Raj Uprety told AFP.
Officials said the floods damaged three hydropower projects and four bridges.
At least 82 people, including nine foreign nationals, were rescued from affected areas, while four helicopters were deployed to support rescue and evacuation operations.
“Five people are unaccounted for,” Uprety said.
Authorities had earlier warned residents to move away from the river and seek safer locations as water levels in the Budhi Gandaki continued to rise.
The flooding has added to the challenges facing Nepal, which is still recovering from a devastating disaster on Aug. 26.
That earlier event, triggered by a mountain glacial collapse, killed more than 1,400 people and left more than 5,000 missing, according to the report.
Laxmi Gurung, a local official in Chumnubri rural municipality, described the latest flooding as frightening and reminiscent of the earlier disaster.
“The flood looked similar ... It was very scary, and it still feels like a nightmare for us,” she said.
Gurung added that her community had suffered significant damage. “Our house is gone, we have no electricity ... but there have been no casualties,” she said.
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, based in Kathmandu, said the disaster highlighted the different hazards capable of triggering destructive floods across Himalayan river systems.
The organisation’s Director-General, Pema Gyamtsho, said emergency response efforts must remain the immediate priority, while authorities investigate the causes of the flooding to reduce future risks and strengthen community resilience.
Heavy rainfall in late September had also triggered floods and landslides in Nepal, killing at least 21 people, according to the disaster agency.
The latest disaster underscores the continuing risks faced by communities in Nepal’s mountainous regions, where landslides, glacial hazards and sudden river surges can cause widespread destruction.
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