In brief
The Budhi Gandaki River in Nepal’s Gorkha district rose sharply, wiping out a building complex, a dozen houses, several suspension bridges and causing damage to an ongoing hydroelectric project. Ninety‑five people, including nine foreigners, were rescued by army helicopters, while five remain missing. Over 200 homes have been damaged and more than 650 people are impacted, with many displaced from their villages. The flood occurred on the first day of Dhashain festival, reminding of the August deluge that killed more than 1,400 people. Climate change and glacial melt are said to heighten the risk of such disasters, prompting urgent calls for humanitarian aid and long‑term resilience measures.
Sudden flooding along the Budhi Gandaki River in Nepal’s central Gorkha district has washed away 200 homes, dozens of bridges, a building complex, and damaged a hydroelectric plant.
Army helicopter crews rescued 95 people, including nine foreigners, from the river’s banks. To date no casualties have been reported, but five persons remain missing and many are displaced.
Video footage captures the instant when the flood unleashed a wall of water that swept downstream, eroding entire structures in seconds. Residents in the valley were forced into nearby forest clearing some 500 metres up the slope after early warning calls.
The flood struck on the first day of the Dashain festival, a major Nepali celebration. More than 650 people are currently impacted, with roughly 200 homes damaged. Several settlements are now isolated and only reachable by air, according to local officials.
The river’s water levels rose from about two metres to nearly eight and a half metres in just a few hours, a rapid surge that overwhelmed drainage and infrastructure. A meteorologist noted that the hydrological station on the riverbank was swept away, cutting off data collection for the area.
Experts suggest the flash flood may stem from a landslide or an ice‑avalanche upstream, although the exact trigger remains unclear. Some locals reported a jam of rock and ice in a tributary that suddenly released.
Save the Children’s Nepali director, Tara Chettry, says children’s lives are shattered by such events – after the August avalanche that left thousands missing, now panic and shock return. The agency is deploying an emergency team to assist those in Gorkha.
The Budhi Gandaki is a tributary of the Trishuli River; the August disaster on the adjacent Glacial‑flood path highlighted the fragile environment of the Himalayas. The current flooding underscores how melt‑water and climate change increase the likelihood of future disasters, putting millions of residents at risk.
