Overview
- A dry landslide in Chumnubri village in Gorkha blocked the Budhi Gandaki and then breached, sending a fast-moving flood downstream, officials said on Sunday.
- The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority reported the river at the Arughat monitoring point had crossed the danger level and was still rising, with Arughat’s alert threshold set at 3.5 metres.
- District authorities urged people living along the river to evacuate to higher ground and issued alerts for Gorkha, Tanahun, Chitwan, East Nawalparasi and West Nawalparasi.
- Local officials said the flood swept away several houses, destroyed two suspension bridges and damaged a hydroelectric project, and army and police rescue teams reached the area and are monitoring by helicopter.
- The Budhi Gandaki’s steep, narrow Himalayan valleys make it prone to rapid, low-warning surges after channel blockages, and the event follows a catastrophic August glacier collapse in the same river system that killed more than 1,400 people.