Flash Flood on Nepal's Budhi Gandaki Sweeps Away Houses and Bridges, Five Missing

A flash flood on the Budhi Gandaki River in central Nepal's Gorkha district swept away houses, bridges and part of a hydropower construction site on Sunday, October 11, 2026. At least five people remain missing. Rescue teams pulled more than 80 people, including foreign tourists, from the affected areas.

The surge hit early Sunday morning, around 4 a.m. local time. Officials say a landslide upstream near Chumchet or Philim temporarily blocked the river. When the blockage failed, water carrying mud and debris rushed downstream through settlements in Chumnubri Rural Municipality. Water levels at one point rose from about two metres to nearly 8.5 metres within hours.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority reported that 45 houses were completely destroyed and 27 partially damaged. Six bridges were lost, including motorable and suspension bridges. Three hydropower projects suffered damage. A construction camp for the 341-megawatt Budhi Gandaki project in Salleri was swept away along with equipment. Three vehicles and dozens of livestock sheds were also lost.

Five people, two women and three men, are unaccounted for in the Ungilung area of Chumchet. The Nepal Army and other security forces rescued 82 people, including nine foreign nationals, using four helicopters. More than 700 personnel were deployed. Tents, blankets and kitchen sets have been sent to the area.

The flood struck as communities prepared for Dashain, Nepal's major festival. Families fled riverside homes. Trekkers on the Manaslu Circuit were affected. More than 200 foreign tourists were reported stuck because of damaged trails and bridges near Jagat and Salleri, key stops on the route.

No rainfall was recorded in the upper catchment. Meteorologists and disaster officials point to the landslide dam as the trigger. A government meteorologist said a hydrological station was itself washed away, cutting off data just as the river peaked. Preliminary analysis from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development supports the landslide-blockage explanation.

Nepal is still recovering from catastrophic floods two months earlier that killed more than 1,400 people along the border with Tibet. Those floods, linked to a glacier collapse, left thousands missing and damaged thousands of homes. The Budhi Gandaki feeds into the Trishuli system downstream from that earlier disaster zone.

Prime Minister Balen Shah said army teams had been airlifted into the area. Local ward chairs described entire sections of bazaars in Salleri and Jagat washed away. Suspension bridges that connected remote villages are gone, isolating communities until temporary crossings can be built.

Rebuilding costs for the earlier floods have been estimated in the billions of dollars. The new damage adds to pressure on infrastructure already strained by monsoon events and glacial hazards. Hydropower projects along the Budhi Gandaki are part of Nepal's long-term energy plans. The loss of the construction camp delays work on one of the larger schemes in the corridor.

Search operations continue for the five missing. Authorities have issued warnings along the Budhi Gandaki, Trishuli and Narayani systems as water levels fluctuate. For residents of Chumnubri and nearby areas, the immediate tasks are shelter, food and restoring basic access. The longer question is how mountain communities prepare for the next landslide-triggered surge in a landscape where slopes remain unstable after recent heavy rains and glacial activity.