Nepal rescues over 80 after Budhi Gandaki flash flood; five still missing in Gorkha

Rescues by helicopter, searches ongoing

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said 82 people were rescued in Gorkha district by four helicopters. Those evacuated included nine foreign nationals who were in the trekking area when trails and bridges were damaged.

Five people, including two women, remained unaccounted for as of Monday, with teams searching along the river corridor and checking isolated hamlets where access has been cut by broken crossings and damaged tracks.

Separate reports have also spoken of larger missing figures in the early hours after the flood, as well as tourists stranded in the Manaslu trekking region. Officials have been verifying names and locations as communications have been disrupted.

The Nepal Army was among the first responders. In the initial response, it rescued 49 people as the floodwaters receded enough for evacuations to start, and it has continued to assist with searches and movement of supplies.

NDRRMA issued urgent alerts and evacuation instructions for downstream communities, warning residents along the Budhi Gandaki corridor toward Jagat and Arughat to move away from the riverbanks as the risk of further surges remained.

Damage assessments on Monday painted a picture of a valley battered in minutes. NDRRMA said 45 houses were completely damaged and 27 houses were partially damaged. It also reported damage to 34 cow sheds and said three vehicles were swept away.

Bridges took some of the hardest blows. The authority said two suspension bridges and two motorable bridges were damaged. Other reports have put the number of bridges swept away or damaged higher, reflecting the difficulty of surveying a remote gorge where crossings are scattered and some sites remain inaccessible.

Hydropower infrastructure was also affected. NDRRMA said three hydropower projects were damaged. Separate reports said the under-construction 341 MW Budhi Gandaki hydropower project suffered heavy losses, including damage to a construction camp and equipment near Salleri.

The flood also disrupted local power and communications, complicating the effort to account for residents and reach communities that rely on a small number of footbridges and narrow roads carved into steep slopes.

Why flash floods keep returning

Officials and investigators have been focusing on a familiar Himalayan hazard: rivers suddenly swollen not just by rain, but by the failure of temporary dams formed by landslides and debris.

In this case, investigators indicated a dry landslide or debris block near Chumchet and Lokpa may have created a barrier lake that later breached. Other accounts described a landslide above Siuribas blocking the Chumke Khola stream, or a temporary blockage near Chekampar that gave way. The precise trigger is still being examined, but the mechanism is consistent with past disasters in Nepal’s mountain valleys.

The latest flood comes as Nepal continues to recover from earlier, catastrophic flooding along the Nepal–China border in late August. That disaster involved the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river systems and caused extensive infrastructure damage alongside a very high death toll, stretching national response capacity and leaving long-term reconstruction needs.

In the Budhi Gandaki valley, the immediate priorities are locating those still missing, restoring crossings and basic services, and re-establishing safe access for residents and trekkers. With bridges down and trails damaged, helicopters have been essential, but authorities have warned that weather and terrain can quickly limit flying.

For communities along the river, the danger is not over when the water drops. Fresh landslides can re-block channels, and unstable slopes can fail again, sending new pulses of debris downstream. That is why evacuation alerts have focused on keeping people away from riverbanks and damaged crossings while assessments continue.

Rescue and repair teams are expected to keep working through the week as engineers inspect bridges and hydropower sites, and as officials update missing-person counts once communications and access improve.