Budhi Gandaki Flood Sweeps Away 35 Homes in Northern Nepal

A flash flood along the Budhi Gandaki River devastated villages in Gorkha, northern Nepal, early Sunday, October 11, sweeping away dozens of homes and other structures and forcing residents to evacuate. Authorities reported no confirmed casualties at the time of their initial assessments, while emergency officials warned that communities downstream remained at risk.

According to Rising Nepal Daily, the flood destroyed 35 houses in the villages of Paiyu and Bagar in Chumanubri. The newspaper reported that floodwaters struck at approximately 4 a.m., prompting residents to flee to safer locations.

Gorkha Chief District Officer Dharendra Kumar Mishra said he received information about a major flood at 4:35 a.m., according to Onlinekhabar. Officials were preparing to deploy a Nepali Army helicopter to assess the affected area, although the extent of the damage remained uncertain.

Nima Lama, chair of the rural municipality, said a landslide had blocked the Chumke Khola in Chumanubri-6 before the flooding occurred. Residents were concerned about the potential impact on Sallery and Jagat Bazaar, which lie farther downstream.

The flooding also damaged market areas, while videos circulating on social media showed houses and sheds being carried away by the swollen river between steep mountain slopes, according to Newsday. The number of villages affected had not been established in the initial reports.

Authorities expanded evacuation warnings beyond the immediate flood zone. Akash Kandel, a police inspector at the District Police Office in Gorkha, said residents of Khorlabensi, Machakhola, Soti, Arkhet and Arughat, in Sirdibas and Dharche Rural Municipality, had been advised to move to safer locations, according to Rising Nepal Daily.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority coordinated evacuations and urged residents in vulnerable areas to remain alert, Newsday reported. The Flood Forecasting Division also issued a mobile phone alert warning people to exercise caution as floodwaters threatened downstream communities.

In a separate warning, the Flood Forecasting Division identified elevated risks along the river system extending toward Mugling. According to Ratopati, the agency classified the danger as extremely high up to Benighat along the Trishuli River, high up to Mugling and moderate around rivers in Chitwan and Nawalparasi.

The warnings reflected the continuing danger posed by fluctuating river levels above the danger threshold. Authorities urged people in threatened areas to remain vigilant while emergency teams assessed conditions and the extent of the destruction.

The disaster comes as Nepal continues recovering from devastating floods in August along its mountainous border with China. Newsday reported that the earlier disaster killed more than 1,400 people and left thousands more missing.

Nepal's government has estimated that rebuilding after the August disaster would cost $4.77 billion. Nearly 33,000 people were affected, and approximately 7,500 homes were damaged or destroyed, according to Newsday. Those figures relate to the earlier disaster, not the newly reported flooding in Gorkha.