FLASH FLOOD SWEEPS AWAY HOUSES AND BRIDGES IN CENTRAL NEPAL

A flash flood swept away houses, bridges and a hydropower project camp in Nepal's Gorkha district early on Sunday, after a landslide struck upstream of the Budhi Gandaki river, about 100km west of Kathmandu. Residents reported hearing loud roaring sounds from nearby streams before dawn. Nepal's army said it rescued 49 people from affected areas, while prime minister Balendra Shah said the army had rescued six people at risk from a landslide. Accounts differ on the number missing, with one official citing five and another report citing four.

Nepal's Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said the flood was triggered by a landslide that blocked a tributary of the Budhi Gandaki before releasing water downstream, with satellite images showing a large landslide near Chumchet village. Local media reported that those missing had been living in a shed on the banks of the Ungilung river, a tributary of the Budhi Gandaki, among livestock shelters swept away along with 15 yaks. Reports differed on the scale of destruction, citing either four bridges destroyed or three confirmed lost by police, and estimating houses swept away at between nearly two dozen and 35. A hydropower project's workers' camp was also damaged, though at least 18 workers escaped to safety.

The Flood Forecasting Division urged people to move away from riverbanks, extending warnings along the Trishuli river towards Chitwan and Nawalparasi districts, where it said flood risk remained high. The warnings followed flooding and landslides that struck Nepal's border areas with Tibet two months earlier, destroying energy infrastructure and leaving thousands dead and missing. Officials said assessments of the Gorkha damage were continuing. The full scale of the destruction had yet to be established.