Nepalese authorities have urged residents along riverbanks to move to safer locations after flash flooding in the country’s Gorkha district swept away houses and bridges and damaged a hydropower project camp.
The flooding occurred early on Sunday after a landslide in the Chumnubri area apparently blocked a waterway, causing a sudden surge in the Budhi Gandaki River, officials said.
About a dozen houses and two suspension bridges were swept away, while a highway bridge linking Gorkha district with neighbouring Dhading district was also destroyed. A camp belonging to a hydropower project sustained damage.
No casualties had been reported at the time of the latest updates.
The Nepalese Army rescued six people who were at risk from a landslide in Jagat, while 18 workers at the affected hydropower project camp managed to escape safely, officials said.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority issued warnings to communities in Gorkha, Tanahun, Chitwan, East Nawalparasi and West Nawalparasi districts, urging residents in vulnerable areas to evacuate and assist rescue efforts where necessary.
Army and police personnel have reached the affected area, while officials are monitoring conditions by helicopter as concerns persist over rising river levels and further flooding.
The Budhi Gandaki flows into the Trishuli River system, which was affected by a devastating flood in August that killed 1,457 people, with thousands more reported missing. (Newswire)
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