The flood that struck Nepal around 4 am local time swept away houses and bridges in Gorkha district and damaged two hydropower infrastructure. At least 10 people remain missing, while nearly 50 people have been rescued, according to Nepali authorities.
Kathmandu: A landslide and the possible breach of a temporary river blockage may have triggered a flash flood in Nepal’s Budhi Gandaki river system early Sunday, according to a Kathmandu-based intergovernmental organisation.
The flood that struck Nepal around 4 am local time swept away houses and bridges in Gorkha district and damaged two hydropower projects in the Gorkha district. At least 10 people remain missing, while nearly 50 people have been rescued, according to Nepali authorities.
Nepali authorities on Sunday rescued nearly 50 people and urged the villagers to move to safer places after a flash flood in the Budhi Gandaki River swept away more than a dozen houses, bridges and also damaged two hydropower projects in the Gorkha district.
However, at least 10 people remain missing but there were no immediate reports of casualties.
The flood may have been caused by the failure of a temporary blockage created by a landslide near Chumchet in Gorkha district, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) said in a statement, citing preliminary accounts from Nepal’s authorities.
Floodwaters carried mud, sediment and debris downstream along the Budhi Gandaki corridor, prompting authorities to warn communities along the Budhi Gandaki, Trishuli and Narayani river systems as water levels fluctuated and risks increased.
Initial reports indicate that people are missing, houses have been washed away, bridges lost and riverside infrastructure damaged. Floodwaters also swept away a construction camp and equipment at the 341-MW Budhi Gandaki hydropower project in Salleri, although the full extent of the damage remains unclear.
Search and rescue operations, evacuations and relocation efforts are underway with the help of security personnel.
The incident comes weeks after devastating floods along Nepal’s mountainous border with China, including the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river floods on August 26, which left more than 1,400 people dead and thousands missing.
ICIMOD Director General Pema Gyamtsho said Sunday’s disaster underscored the risks posed by cascading mountain hazards, in which one event can trigger another and amplify the impact on communities and infrastructure.
“While response efforts must remain the immediate priority, understanding what triggered this flood will be critical for reducing future risks and strengthening resilience,” he said.
ICIMOD said the flood highlighted the vulnerability of settlements, transport networks, energy infrastructure and essential services along mountain river corridors.
Understanding how slope instability, river dynamics and downstream exposure interact would be crucial for risk reduction, infrastructure planning and recovery efforts in the Himalayas, it said.
The Kathmandu-based ICIMOD is an intergovernmental organisation working on sustainable development and environmental challenges in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region, whose eight member countries include India, Nepal and China.
The Gorkha district administration has urged people by the riverside to stay alert and shift to safe places, Netra Prasad Sharma, Assistant Chief District Officer of Gorkha District Administration Office, said.
The flood in the Gandaki Province swept away houses in Salleri, Paiyuka and the riverbed at Jagat, as well as a suspension bridge connecting the ward, Ram Kumar Gurung, ward chair of Chumnubri Rural Municipality-3, was quoted as saying by the Kathmandu Post.
The flood struck Nepal’s Budhi Gandaki River, roughly a month and a half after the devastating Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river floods on August 26, 2026.
Nepal is still recovering from the devastating flood in August along the mountainous Nepal-China border that left more than 1,400 people dead and thousands more missing.
The cause of the sudden surge in the Budhi Gandaki River remained unclear. Residents suspect that the Syar stream, a tributary of the Budhi Gandaki between Lokpa and Chumling in Chumnubri-6, may have been blocked, triggering the flood.
Security agencies, including Nepal Army personnel, have been mobilised to conduct search and rescue works in the flood-affected area of Gorkha district, according to officials.
The Nepal Army on Sunday rescued four dozen (48) people from the flood hit areas. The people stranded by the flood have been airlifted to the safer places. Four helicopters and ground forces have been mobilised for the rescue operation.
According to administrative officer of Gorkha District Administration Office, Chuda Nidhi Tiwari, there was one kilometer long landslide in Chumnubri and the landslide swept away five cow sheds in which at least 10 farmers have gone missing.
Floodwaters swept away a construction camp and some equipment at the site of the 341-megawatt Budhi Gandaki hydropower project under construction in Salleri, Chumnubri-3.
The flood has swept away around three dozen houses in Chumnubri Rural Municipality of the district as per the preliminary reports, Sharma said.
Taking to social media, Home Minister Sudan Gurung warned of another severe flood in Nepal following a surge in the Budhi Gandaki River in Gorkha on Sunday morning.
In a social media post accompanying a video of the flooding, Gurung said security personnel, including helicopter teams, had been mobilised to the affected areas for rescue, relief and evacuation operations.
Nepal has faced another severe flood, and I have been seriously concerned by reports that the bridge connecting Nyakchet and Film Bazaar in Ward No. 3 of Chumanubri Rural Municipality, Gorkha, has been washed away. The river’s flow is continuously increasing, and muddy floodwaters have entered some houses in the Ghattekhola area,” he wrote.
He added that helicopters had been deployed immediately after the incident, while the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and local administration had been mobilised to carry out rescue and relief operations and move people to safety.
The Home Minister urged residents of Sirdibas, Jagat, Salleri, Khorlabesi, Machhakhola, Soti, Arkhet and Arughat, particularly those living along the banks of the Budhi Gandaki River, to relocate to safer areas without delay and remain on high alert.
“I sincerely request residents of these areas, especially those living along the Budhi Gandaki River, to move to safer places immediately and remain highly alert. Please remain calm and stay safe,” Gurung wrote.
He also urged people requiring emergency assistance to contact the Ministry of Home Affairs on 1234.