A pre-dawn flash flood in Nepal’s Manaslu trekking region on Sunday swept away nearly 40 houses, six bridges and hydropower infrastructure. Up to 10 people are missing and more than 150 foreign tourists are stranded.
The disaster struck barely 45 days after catastrophic floods along Bhote Koshi-Trishuli river killed more than 1,450 people and left 5,250 missing. The latest flood struck around 4am along Budhi Gandaki, a tributary of Trishuli, in Chumnubri, approximately 100km west of Kathmandu. However, officials had yet to establish the exact cause. Five people, including two women and three men staying near Ungilung river, remained missing. Separately, four to five herders were also out of contact. Authorities issued evacuation alerts across Dhading, Tanahun, Chitwan and East and West Nawalparasi, warning residents along Trishuli and Narayani rivers to stay away from riverbanks.
Authorities suspected a landslide had temporarily blocked a tributary, allowing water and debris to build up before the obstruction gave way.