Nepal urges villagers to evacuate after flood triggered by landslide

KATHMANDU: Nepali authorities urged villagers on Sunday (Oct 11) to move to safer places after a massive flood in a river in the central part of the country swept away several houses and infrastructure, but there were no reports of any casualties.

A dry landslide in Chumnubri village in Gorkha district, about 100km west of Kathmandu, blocked the Budhi Gandaki River, leading to downstream flooding, authorities said.

The Budhi Gandaki is a tributary of the Trishuli River, downstream from another tributary where a glacier collapse caused a catastrophic flood in August that killed 1,457 people, with thousands still missing.

"We have asked villagers living along the river banks downstream to evacuate and remain safe," said Dharmendra Kumar Mishra, the Gorkha district's most senior bureaucrat.

Mishra said several houses and two suspension bridges had been swept away, and a hydroelectric project was damaged by the flood.

National disaster authorities alerted people living along the river in the Gorkha, Tanahun, Chitwan, East Nawalparasi and West Nawalparasi districts about the flood.

"Please help ensure that people in at-risk areas are moved to safe locations in time and assist search and rescue operations as needed," the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said in a social media post.

Officials said army and police rescue personnel had reached the area and were also monitoring the situation from a helicopter.