Nepal Flood Sweeps Away Homes and Bridges, Leaving Five Missing

Flash flooding along Nepal's Budhi Gandaki River swept away houses and bridges in the central Gorkha district on Sunday, damaging hydropower construction sites and leaving five people missing. Nepalese authorities reported that 95 people, including nine foreign nationals, were rescued, while more than 650 people were affected and emergency teams worked to reach isolated communities.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority reported that more than 200 homes were damaged. Officials said the missing people were believed to be herders, and no deaths had been reported as rescue operations continued.

The Nepalese military deployed four helicopters and more than 700 personnel to assist affected communities, according to reports from the BBC and The Associated Press. Rescue teams transported food, tents, medicine, and other essential supplies, while helicopters evacuated residents and tourists from areas inaccessible by road.

The flood destroyed or damaged five bridges and affected construction sites belonging to three hydropower projects, according to The Associated Press. Authorities also reported that the river's water level at one monitoring location climbed from two meters to nearly 8.5 meters within a few hours.

Officials said an early warning helped residents move to higher ground before the flood struck. Several settlements were cut off, forcing some families to seek temporary shelter in nearby forests and leaving uncertainty about when they could safely return.

Ganesh Karki, a resident of Jagatbagar, described how residents escaped after receiving an early-morning warning call.

"We never imagined a flood of this size," Karki told The Kathmandu Post.

He described repeated surges of water throughout the morning and the continuing fear among residents who had fled their homes.

"The water surged for about 15 minutes and then stopped repeatedly throughout the morning. We are afraid to return home at night," Karki said.

Binod Parajuli, a meteorologist working with the Nepalese government, said the flooding had also disrupted monitoring infrastructure, limiting access to information about conditions along the river.

"Our hydrological station was swept away and we are not getting any data from that location," Parajuli said.

The cause of the flood was initially uncertain in early reports. The Associated Press reported that a landslide blocked the river near Chumchure before water broke through, while other accounts cited the possibility of a temporary blockage caused by a landslide or an ice avalanche upstream.

The disaster struck as communities prepared to celebrate Dashain, a major festival in Nepal. The affected region also contains trekking routes popular with visitors, making evacuation and emergency access particularly important during the busy October travel season.

Tara Chettry, Save the Children's director in Nepal, said the flooding had created another emergency for children and families still recovering from earlier devastation.

"Children's lives have been ripped apart in an instant yet again," Chettry said.

The organization was mobilizing an emergency response team as the extent of damage to homes, schools, and communities remained unclear.

Chettry said many children were still coping with the psychological effects of the previous disaster, which had struck before communities could fully recover.

"We are yet to see the full scale of the damage, but they may have lost their homes, schools and communities. Many children in Gorkha will still be in shock and distress after the mega floods in August, barely having a chance to get back on their feet," Chettry said.

Nepal is still recovering from catastrophic flooding along its border with Tibet in August, when more than 1,400 people died and thousands more were reported missing. That disaster was linked to a rock-and-ice avalanche near Langtang Lirung in the Himalayas.

The Budhi Gandaki River flows into the Trishuli River system. Experts have warned that accelerating glacier melt associated with climate change may increase the risk of destructive floods and related hazards in the Himalayan region.