A sudden surge of muddy floodwater has forced Nepali officials to call for urgent evacuations in the country’s central hills after a river burst its banks, sweeping away homes and key infrastructure even as authorities said no casualties had been reported.
The national disaster authority said two women and three men were out of contact. The army reported that 49 people — including a foreigner — had been rescued, but did not disclose the person’s nationality.
Officials said the flooding was triggered when a landslide struck Chumnubri village in Gorkha district, about 100 kilometres west of Kathmandu, blocking the Budhi Gandaki River and setting off flooding downstream.
The Budhi Gandaki flows into the Trishuli River and lies downstream from another tributary where a glacier collapse unleashed a catastrophic flood in August. That disaster killed 1,457 people, with thousands still missing.
“We have asked villagers living along the river banks downstream to evacuate and remain safe,” said Dharmendra Kumar Mishra, the Gorkha district’s most senior bureaucrat.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said the flood swept away about a dozen houses and two suspension bridges, and damaged a hydroelectric project camp, carrying off some construction equipment.
As the water level continued to climb, the sludge-filled river also tore out a highway bridge linking Gorkha with neighbouring Dhading district, according to Dharam Raj Uprety, chief of the Authority.
In response, national disaster officials issued alerts to communities along the river in Gorkha, Tanahun, Chitwan, East Nawalparasi and West Nawalparasi districts, warning residents to prepare for flooding.
“Please help ensure that people in at-risk areas are moved to safe locations in time and assist search and rescue operations as needed,” the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said in a social media post.
Officials said army and police rescue teams had reached the affected area and were tracking developments from a helicopter as the situation continued to unfold.
