Nepal flash-flood sweeps away 40 houses, 6 bridges; 10 missing
What's the story
Nearly 40 houses and six bridges were washed away after a flash flood struck central Nepal in the Manaslu trekking region on Sunday morning. The disaster struck around 4:00am on Sunday along the Budhi Gandaki river in Chumnubri, about 100km west of Kathmandu. The floodwaters also damaged hydropower infrastructure and left up to 10 people missing. More than 150 foreign tourists remain stranded.
Cause suspected
Landslide may have caused floodwaters
Authorities suspect a landslide may have temporarily blocked a tributary, causing water and debris to build up; others say locals upstream saw an ice avalanche.
Five people near the Ungilung river are among those missing. Separately, four to five herders are untraceable after the disaster.
The Budhi Gandaki is a tributary of the Trishuli River, downstream from another tributary where a glacier collapse triggered a disastrous flood in August, killing 1,457 people and leaving 5,000 more missing.
Infrastructure impact
Hydropower project damaged
The floodwaters have damaged the under-construction 341MW Budhi Gandaki hydropower project at Salleri.
At Arughat, the Budhi Gandaki river rose to 8.4m against a danger level of 5m before sweeping away a monitoring station. This incident disrupted water-level readings.
Authorities have issued evacuation alerts across several districts, warning residents along the Trishuli and Narayani rivers to stay away from riverbanks due to possible further flooding events.
Disaster response
SMS warnings issued to residents
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority chief executive Dharmaraj Uprety said they received information about the flood at 6:20am and issued SMS warnings at 6:40am.
Nearly two lakh alerts were sent in two rounds, advising residents to evacuate vulnerable areas.
The Army has rescued 49 people so far from affected areas.
Tourism impact
More than 100 foreign tourists stranded
The flash flood has also affected the popular Manaslu trekking circuit, which is a major tourist attraction during Nepal's peak autumn season.
Trails and suspension bridges have been damaged, leaving more than 100 foreign tourists stranded at Jagat.
Another 17 are stuck at Lokpa and 40 at Chhekampar in Chum Valley.
Authorities are arranging helicopter evacuations for these tourists to ensure their safety and swift return from the affected areas.