A flash flood in central Nepal has destroyed homes along a river, with residents being evacuated by helicopters, reports infohub.kz.
The country had not yet recovered from the devastating flood that occurred in August on the border with China and claimed more than 1,400 lives when a new natural disaster struck. According to Sky News, in the Gorkha district, in the rural municipality of Chumnubri, a dry landslide temporarily blocked the Budhi Gandaki River, but then the debris dam burst, sending a torrent of muddy debris downstream.
The mudflows damaged or completely swept away about a dozen homes and structures, as well as several suspension and steel bridges; a hydropower station camp was also affected. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) issued evacuation warnings for communities along the riverbanks.
The August 26 catastrophe resulted in 1,457 confirmed deaths, with about 4,700 people still missing. The Himalayas and their steep slopes, which had been held together by ice and frozen ground for centuries, are disappearing fast enough to trigger cascading disasters. Temperatures have risen by 1.5–2°C, and Nepal, along with neighboring countries, will increasingly face such events as global warming continues.
Authorities said on Sunday that a landslide in the village of Chumnubri in the Gorkha district blocked the Budhi Gandaki River, causing the flood. The Budhi Gandaki River flows into the Trishuli River downstream from another tributary, where in August a glacial collapse caused a catastrophic flood.
The chief official of Gorkha district, Dharmendra Kumar Mishra, said on Sunday that about a dozen homes and two suspension bridges were swept away, adding that a hydropower station camp was also affected by the flood. "We have asked residents of villages along the riverbanks downstream to evacuate and take safety measures," he said.
National disaster authorities warned residents of Gorkha, Tanahun, Chitwan, East Nawalparasi, and West Nawalparasi districts about the flood.