Nepal urges villagers to evacuate after flood triggered by landslide

Nepal's authorities implored residents to relocate to safer locations on Sunday following a flood triggered by a landslide in the central region, which destroyed several homes and infrastructure. However, there were no reported deaths. According to the national disaster authority, two women and three men were missing. The army reported that 49 individuals, including a foreigner, had been rescued.

The landslide occurred in Chumnubri village within Gorkha district, situated approximately 100 kilometers west of Kathmandu. This event caused the Budhi Gandaki River, a tributary of the Trishuli River, to overflow, resulting in downstream flooding. Gorkha district's senior official, Dharmendra Kumar Mishra, instructed villagers living along the riverbanks downstream to evacuate and ensure their safety.

The flood obliterated around a dozen houses, two suspension bridges, and caused damage to a hydroelectric project camp, causing the loss of some construction equipment. The flooded river contained muddy sludge and had submerged a highway bridge linking Gorkha with the neighboring Dhading district, as stated by Dharam Raj Uprety, the chief of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.

National disaster authorities warned people residing along the river in Gorkha, Tanahun, Chitwan, East Nawalparasi, and West Nawalparasi districts about the flood. They urged everyone to assist in ensuring that people in risk areas were relocated to safe locations promptly and to aid search and rescue operations if necessary. Officials confirmed that army and police rescue personnel had arrived at the scene and were also surveilling the situation via a helicopter.