Landslide Dam Burst Floods Nepal’s Budhi Gandaki Valley, Five Missing

A landslide near Chumchet in Nepal’s Gorkha district blocked the Budhi Gandaki River before dawn on Sunday. When the temporary dam failed, a debris-laden flood swept down the valley, destroying homes, bridges and construction sites on the Manaslu trekking route.

Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said five people remain missing. They are believed to be local residents who had been staying near the Ungilung stream. No deaths have been confirmed. The army and other agencies rescued 95 people, including nine foreign trekkers, using helicopters and ground teams. More than 650 people were affected.

The flood damaged or destroyed dozens of houses, at least five bridges (including suspension and motor bridges), and parts of the under-construction 341-megawatt Budhi Gandaki hydropower project. Several villages were cut off. Early warning messages and the timing of the event allowed many residents to reach higher ground before the main surge arrived.

Officials said the blockage formed after a dry landslide, not rainfall. Seismic sensors recorded the landslide around 4:22 a.m. local time. The surge reached downstream communities within hours and raised water levels at monitoring stations well above danger thresholds before one station was destroyed.

This is the second major landslide-related flood in Nepal in 2026. A similar event in July along the Bhote Koshi-Trishuli system killed more than 1,450 people. The Manaslu Circuit, a popular trekking route, is at peak season; hundreds of foreign tourists were in the area when the flood hit. Helicopters continue to ferry people and supplies to isolated villages.

Local officials reported that about 100 cows also went missing and that several hydropower project camps and equipment were washed away. Search operations for the five missing people continue. Access to upper Gorkha now depends largely on air transport.