Nepal’s military rescuers reached an area affected by a sudden flood, providing aid and evacuating residents and tourists along the Budhi Gandaki river in northern central Nepal. No fatalities have been reported, with five individuals missing. The government’s timely warning enabled most people to move to higher ground before the flood struck.
The flood resulted from a landslide blocking the river near Chumchure village, causing damage to five bridges, three hydropower plant sites, and numerous homes and farms. Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority has relocated 95 individuals, including nine foreigners, to nearby towns.
The flooded region includes popular trekking routes for hikers, especially busy in October. Relief efforts involve trucks transporting supplies to accessible areas by road and army helicopters delivering aid to remote mountain villages. The Budhi Gandaki River converges with the Trishuli River, crucial to Kathmandu.
Social media footage depicts structures being carried away by the river’s force amid towering mountains, with the extent of impact on small villages unclear. Nepal is still recuperating from a destructive flood on the Nepal-China border in August, which claimed over 1,400 lives and left many missing. Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s office announced the conclusion of search and rescue operations on October 5, focusing efforts on infrastructure repair.
