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.Early SMS warnings helped residents flee to higher ground, while the Army rescued 49 people. Authorities ordered evacuations and alerted downstream districts.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.100+ foreigners stuck in trekking regionAuthorities suspected a landslide had temporarily blocked a tributary, allowing water and debris to build up before the obstruction gave way. 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.The flood destroyed 35-40 houses and a primary school, leaving another 20-22 houses at risk. Six bridges were swept away or damaged, cutting off remote settlements.Floodwaters also destroyed the construction camp and equipment of the under-construction 341MW Budhi Gandaki hydropower project at Salleri. At Arughat, Budhi Gandaki river rose to 8.4m against a danger level of 5m before floodwaters swept away the monitoring station, disrupting water-level readings.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.National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority chief executive Dharmaraj Uprety said authorities could not rule out another blockage upstream. “However, we cannot yet say whether the river has been blocked again upstream or whether the danger has passed,” he said.Uprety said authorities received information about the flood at 6.20am and issued the first SMS warnings at 6.40am. Nearly 2 lakh alerts were sent in two rounds, urging residents to move away from riverbanks and vulnerable settlements.The flood also disrupted the popular Manaslu trekking circuit during Nepal’s peak autumn tourist season, damaging trails and suspension bridges. More than 100 foreign tourists were stranded at Jagat, a key entry point to the trekking region, while 17 were stuck at Lokpa and another 40 at Chhekampar in Chum Valley. Manaslu Conservation Area Project conservation officer Bhuvanraj Ojha told TOI the tourists were safe and authorities were arranging helicopter evacuations.
