Nepal Flood Sweeps Homes, Strands Trekkers

A pre-dawn flash flood surged down Nepal’s Budhi Gandaki River in Gorkha district’s Manaslu region on Sunday, sweeping away about 40 houses, bridges and hydropower infrastructure and damaging roads, communications and other facilities, including a construction camp at the 341-megawatt Budhi Gandaki project. At least five people were reported missing, with some reports putting the number as high as 10; rescue teams evacuated residents, and later updates said more than 80 people had been rescued. More than 150 foreign trekkers were stranded in remote communities after trails and bridges were damaged. Authorities suspect a landslide temporarily blocked the river before the barrier gave way, but the cause and risk of further flooding remained uncertain; downstream communities were alerted and evacuations were ordered as searches and damage assessments continued. The flood followed catastrophic flooding in Nepal in August that killed more than 1,400 people and left thousands missing.