In brief
A torrent from the Budhi Gandaki River surged through Nepal’s central Gorkha district, destroying homes, bridges and a hydroelectric facility. Around 50 people were rescued by the army, though five remain missing. Experts debate the trigger—a landslide or ice‑avalanche—while the flood arrived on a Dashain festival day, following the catastrophic August floods that claimed over 1,400 lives. Save the Children has mobilised an emergency team, highlighting the continued trauma among children. The event underscores Nepal’s vulnerability to climate‑related water disasters and the need for stronger forecasting and infrastructure.
Sudden flood in Nepal’s Gorkha district turns homes into debris
A torrent from the Budhi Gandaki River surged through the central Nepal district of Gorkha, washing away a dozen houses, several suspension bridges and damaging a hydroelectric facility. Around 50 residents were rescued by the army, but five people remain missing.
The wall‑of‑water rose from roughly two metres to 8.5 metres in just a few hours, according to local officials. While no casualties have yet been confirmed, the ferocity of the current has left families desperate for shelter and supplies, with many homes already displaced.
Experts debate the trigger for the surge: a landslide may have dammed the river, or an upstream ice‑avalanche could have released a sudden rush of meltwater. A meteorologist noted that the hydrological station was destroyed, cutting off critical data.
The latest disaster arrives on a day marked by the Dashain festival, a major Nepali celebration, and follows the catastrophic floods that occurred two months earlier along the border with Tibet – a tragedy that claimed more than 1,400 lives.
Save the Children has deployed an emergency team, saying “children’s lives have been ripped apart in an instant yet again” and acknowledging that many are still traumatized from August’s floods.
The Budhi Gandaki, a tributary of the Trishuli River, has become a symbol of Nepal’s ongoing struggle with climate‑related water crises, underscoring the need for better flood forecasting and resilient infrastructure.
