Devastating flash flood along Nepal’s Budhi Gandaki River has destroyed homes, bridges and critical infrastructure in Gorkha district. The Nepal Army has rescued 95 people, including nine foreign trekkers, while several people remain missing and hydropower projects face severe damage.
A massive flash flood surged through Nepal's Budhi Gandaki River, destroying communities in the Gorkha district. The sudden flood swept away more than a dozen homes, destroyed pedestrian bridges and severely damaged two regional hydropower projects, cutting off several remote mountain villages. No fatalities have been reported so far, but between 5 and 10 individuals are missing.
The Nepal Army has mobilised rapid response aviation units, deployed helicopters to navigate the tough Himalayan weather and rescue survivors. So far, rescue teams have successfully airlifted 95 people from immediate danger. This includes 9 foreign trekkers who were stranded on the famous Manaslu trekking circuit after mountain trails collapsed beneath them. Critical bridges connecting areas such as Nyakchet, Philim Bazaar, Arughat and Machhakhola have been swept away.
The local energy sector has suffered a devastating blow, with up to four regional hydropower projects sustaining critical damage. The massive 341 MW Budhi Gandaki project, currently under construction, saw its main worker camps and heavy machinery swept away. The force of the debris flow has knocked out two major telecommunication towers and snapped over 50 electricity poles, hampering rescue efforts and plunging entire communities into darkness.
So far, geological assessments have indicated that the disaster was caused by a massive localised landslide near Chumchet that temporarily dammed the Syar system, a key tributary of the Budhi Gandaki. The landslide created a natural dam, which created a reservoir of water, mud and mountain sediment behind it. This dam then collapsed, which led to a massive flood of water and mud that flowed downstream and devastated the district.
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