95 Air-Rescued as Flash Floods Sever Manaslu Trekking Route
A devastating flash flood triggered by a sudden landslide dam burst along the Budhi Gandaki River on Sunday, October 11, has wreaked havoc across northern Nepal's Gorkha district, washing away residential dwellings, strategic transit bridges, and active construction sites of key hydroelectric facilities. The disaster unfolded after an upstream landslide temporarily choked the river channel, causing an immense reservoir of water to accumulate behind the natural barrier; mounting hydrostatic pressure eventually breached the debris dam, sending a violent torrent of water, mud, and boulders coursing through riverside settlements in Chumnubri and Dharche rural municipalities. With low-lying riverbank belts submerged under surging currents, district administrative authorities have issued urgent flood warnings, advising families living along downstream reaches to immediately evacuate to elevated ground while emergency response squads mobilize to access cut-off hamlets.
Army Launches Chopper Sorties as Search Continues for 5 Missing Residents
Joint emergency operations conducted by the Nepali Army, Nepal Police, and disaster management units have successfully evacuated 95 stranded individuals, including nine foreign tourists, using four military helicopters dispatched into the rugged mountainous terrain. Narayan Prasad Sapkota, administrative chief of Chumnubri Rural Municipality, confirmed that local rescue missions separately brought at least 96 individuals to safety on Sunday, while search-and-rescue squads continue combing river banks for five missing locals, comprising two women and three men. Because main transit tracks and pedestrian suspension footbridges were swept away by the torrents, northern Gorkha has been virtually isolated from the mainland road network, forcing authorities to rely entirely on aerial sorties to ferry emergency medicines, tarpaulins, dry rations, and warm bedding to displaced villagers.
Manaslu Trekking Circuit Paralyzed, Bridges Washed Away, and 45 Houses Destroyed
The flood surge has paralyzed Nepal’s famed Manaslu trekking region, leaving more than 150 domestic and foreign hikers stranded after arterial trails and footbridges were severed by roaring waters. According to the Manaslu Conservation Area Project, approximately 115 trekkers are currently stranded in Jagat and another 40 in Lokpa; while all tourists are reported safe in local lodges, the critical trekking corridor connecting Jagatbagar to Philim has sustained severe damage and the popular trail into Tsum Valley remains completely shut. Downstream destruction is equally severe, with local administrative surveys indicating that 45 homes were completely razed—including 31 structures wiped out in Chumnubri alone—while 27 additional buildings and the Vikas Basic School in Ghattekhola suffered major damage, alongside the total destruction of the vital road bridge connecting Gorkha with neighboring Dhading district.
Heavy Damage to Three Hydropower Projects Stalls Mountain Infrastructure
The flash flood has dealt a heavy blow to the region's energy generation assets, inundating construction work across three major hydroelectric ventures along the river corridor. Heavy floodwaters entered the construction zone of the 341 MW Budhi Gandaki Project at Salleri, damaging labor facilities and washing away heavy earthmoving machinery into the river. Further downstream, the 24.5 MW project in Dobhan saw its workers' encampment and a crucial Bailey bridge wiped out, while road access to the 16 MW Machhakhola Hydropower Project was heavily severed by mudslides. As weather forecasts indicate overcast conditions across the capital city of Kathmandu alongside localized rain risks in high-altitude zones, rescue engineers and local authorities confront a steep uphill battle in reopening supply corridors and restoring critical civic lifelines across northern Gorkha.
