Flood in Nepal washes away about 12 houses and several bridges — BBC News

In central Nepal, flooding on the Budhi Gandaki River in Gorkha District washed away around 12 houses and several suspension bridges, and also damaged part of a hydropower project. The flow of water carried away some construction equipment, BBC News reports.

Evacuation and missing people

The Nepalese army confirmed the rescue of around 50 people along the riverbanks. No flood casualties have been reported so far, but five people are considered missing.

The flooding occurred on Sunday as communities were preparing to mark the first day of Dashain, one of Nepal's main festivals. Families were forced to leave their homes and seek safe shelter and access to essential items.

Water level rose sharply

According to officials, the water level at one location rose from two to nearly 8.5 metres within several hours. Meteorologist Binod Parajuli, who works with the Nepalese government, said the hydrological station was washed away by the flow, so data from that location are no longer being received.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

The cause of the new flooding has not yet been established. Some experts suggest that a landslide may have temporarily blocked the river or one of its tributaries, after which the water broke through the natural barrier. Others refer to reports from local residents upstream of a possible glacial collapse.

Experts noted that this mudflow was significantly smaller and moved more slowly than the destructive flash floods in August. Nepal is still recovering from catastrophic floods that struck settlements bordering Tibet two months ago: more than 1,400 people were killed then, while thousands more went missing.

Save the Children reported that it had mobilised an emergency team to respond to the new flooding in Gorkha.