Flash floods kill five and destroy two villages in Nepal's Gorkha district after landslide dams river

A landslide in the early hours of 11 October blocked the Budhi Gandaki River in Nepal's central Gorkha district, sending water levels surging from 2 metres to nearly 8.5 metres in a matter of hours. Five people have been killed, close to 100 rescued, and more than 650 affected in total. Two villages in the Chumanubri rural municipality were reportedly wiped out, with homes, roads, bridges and part of a hydropower station destroyed. More than 100 foreign trekkers were left stranded in the popular hiking region.

Authorities reported 204 homes damaged, with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority working to coordinate the emergency response.

Experts warn the floods highlight the dangers facing disaster survivors who were resettled in areas still vulnerable to landslide-triggered surges from upstream.