Flash flood sweeps away over 35 houses and bridges in Nepal’s Gorkha district

A flash flood in the Budhi Gandaki River swept away more than 35 houses and bridges in Nepal’s Gorkha district on Sunday, prompting authorities to launch rescue operations and warn residents in riverside settlements to move to safer locations.

The flood affected several areas in northern Gorkha, including Salleri, Paiyuka and Jagat. A suspension bridge connecting parts of Chumnubri Rural Municipality was also washed away, officials said.

Gorkha Chief District Officer Dharmendra Kumar Mishra said preliminary reports indicated that a landslide had occurred above Siuribas. No casualties had been reported as of Sunday, although the full extent of the damage remained unclear.

The cause of the sudden surge was yet to be established. Residents suspect that the Syar stream, a tributary of the Budhi Gandaki River between Lokpa and Chumling, may have been blocked, causing water to accumulate before surging downstream.

Chumnubri Rural Municipality Deputy Chair Laxmi Gurung compared the flooding to the earlier disaster in Nepal’s Rasuwa district, saying dozens of houses had been swept away and the scale of the damage was still being assessed.

Home Minister Sudan Gurung said the flood had also destroyed the bridge connecting Nyakchet and Philim Bazaar in Chumnubri-3. Helicopters were deployed for rescue operations, relief distribution and evacuations as the river continued to rise.

Nepal Police, the Armed Police Force and local authorities were mobilised to assist affected communities.

Residents said the flood struck early in the morning, leaving little time to retrieve belongings. People in riverside settlements, including Chumling and Lokpa, fled after hearing loud roaring sounds from the streams from around 4 am. Tourists staying at local hotels also evacuated.

Sherap Gurung, a resident of Lokpa, said the sound suggested that the flow of water had repeatedly stopped and resumed. With darkness making it difficult to assess the situation, residents could not determine whether a landslide or a blockage had triggered the surge. He also said there had been no rain.

Authorities were using loudspeakers to warn people living along the river to evacuate to higher ground as rescue and relief efforts continued.