Nepal orders evacuation as Gorkha flash flood sweeps 35 homes

A debris-laden flash flood swept away more than 35 houses and bridges in Nepal's Gorkha district on 11 October 2026, authorities said, urging people living along the Budhi Gandaki River to move to higher ground. No casualties had been reported, Gorkha's chief district officer Dharmendra Kumar Mishra said. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority's flood forecasting section issued an alert for riverside settlements early that morning.deccanchronicle.com+1

The flood matters because it struck a district still recovering from devastating August flooding elsewhere in Nepal, and because the cause of the sudden surge remains unclear. Authorities issued an SMS alert at 06:40 on 11 October warning residents not to go near the river up to Trishuli Dobhan until the flood passed. The warning told people to stay in high places as a large flood was coming from Chumnubri Rural Municipality-6.

What the flood destroyed

The flood in the Budhi Gandaki River swept away houses in Salleri, Paiyuka and the riverbed at Jagat, as well as a suspension bridge connecting the ward, Ram Kumar Gurung, ward chair of Chumnubri Rural Municipality-3, said. Home Minister Sudan Gurung said the flood also swept away the bridge linking Nyakchet and Philim bazaar in Chumnubri-3. The full extent of the damage was not yet known, Ram Kumar Gurung said.freepressjournal.in

Gorkha's chief district officer Dharmendra Kumar Mishra said preliminary reports indicated that a landslide had occurred above Siuribas in Chumnubri Rural Municipality. Mishra told the Asian News International news agency that five to seven houses in the riverbed at Jagat had been swept away, with a few other houses reportedly swept away downstream. Officials were working to get updates from the ground, he said.

Residents suspect the Syar stream, a tributary of the Budhi Gandaki between Lokpa and Chumling in Chumnubri-6, may have been blocked, triggering the flood. Narayan Sapkota, chief administrative officer of Chumnubri Rural Municipality, said the Ugylung and Syar streams had surged and that a possible blockage of the river's flow in Chekampar was suspected, with a landslide-formed dam possibly breached. The cause of the sudden surge remained unclear.

Suspected landslide blockage

Residents in riverside settlements, including Chumling and Lokpa, fled their homes after hearing loud roaring sounds from the streams from around 4am. Sherap Gurung, a resident of Lokpa, said the sound suggested the water flow had repeatedly stopped and resumed. Because it was dark, he said, residents could not tell whether the stream had been blocked or a landslide had occurred, and it had not rained.

Authorities used loudspeakers to warn people living along the river and urge them to move to safer locations. The Area Police Office in Arughat issued a safety advisory. Home Minister Sudan Gurung said helicopters had been deployed for rescue operations, relief distribution and evacuations as the river continued to rise. Nepal Police, the Armed Police Force and local authorities were mobilised to carry out rescue and relief operations.

Chumnubri Rural Municipality Deputy Chair Laxmi Gurung said the flood was reminiscent of the Bhotekoshi flood in Rasuwa. The Bhote Koshi River in Rasuwa district was struck by devastating flooding on 26 August. The floods in the Rasuwa and Trishuli river areas claimed 1,455 lives, while 5,285 people remained missing, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.

Comparison with August floods

Ram Kumar Gurung, ward chair of Chumnubri Rural Municipality-3, said the flood came early in the morning and residents could not take out their belongings. Everyone fled as soon as they heard the flood was coming, he said. Tourists staying at local hotels in riverside settlements also fled, residents said. The full extent of the damage was not yet known.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority's flood forecasting section issued an alert for settlements along the Budhi Gandaki River early on 11 October, warning of possible flooding. The SMS alert told residents not to go near the river up to Trishuli Dobhan until the flood passed and to stay in high places. Authorities continued using loudspeakers to urge riverside residents to move to safer locations.