Nepal Flash Flood: What Happened In Gorkha’s Budhi Gandaki And What We Know So Far

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Early on 11 October, a river in the highlands of central Nepal turned into a surge of mud and debris. The Nepal flash flood on the Budhi Gandaki in Gorkha district swept away houses, suspension and motorable bridges, electric poles and telephone towers. Five people are missing, and 82 people, including nine foreign nationals, have been rescued. No casualties have been reported so far.

Photo Credit: ANI

The disaster struck at the start of the autumn trekking season. On 8 October, the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal had declared most major trekking routes safe for the season, including those in the Manaslu region.

What Happened

The flood was triggered by a landslide between Lokpa and Chumling in Chumnubri Rural Municipality. Initial estimates suggest the river was blocked by the slide and later burst, sending debris-laden water down the valley. The cause has not been formally confirmed.

At 6:40 am, the flood forecasting section warned people to stay away from the river and move to high places, as a large flood was approaching from Chumnubri Rural Municipality-6. The Budhi Gandaki is a tributary of the Gandaki River, with a basin of about 5,000 square kilometres that lies mostly in Nepal and partly in China.

Nepals National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority tweets, "A large flood is coming from Chumanuwmi Rural Municipality-6 of the Budhi Gandaki River, so until the flood passes, do not go near the river up to Trishuli Dobhan. Stay in high places."(Source: Nepal Army)

— ANI (@ANI) October 11, 2026

The Damage

Estimates of lost homes differ. The Kathmandu Post puts it at 35 to 40 houses, while the disaster authority's spokesperson mentioned seven to eight houses, along with an under-construction hydropower project in Dharche.

The bridge losses are clearer. The flood destroyed suspension footbridges linking Nyakchet and Sirdibas and Machhakhola and Kerauja, a motorable iron bridge at Soti, and the bridge at Aarughat connecting Gorkha and Dhading.

Twelve staff of Times Energy Pvt Ltd, the company behind the hydropower project, were shifted to safer places. Reports also said Aarughat bazaar was being evacuated as a precaution

The Missing And The Rescue

Nepals National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority tweets, "A large flood is coming from Chumanuwmi Rural Municipality-6 of the Budhi Gandaki River, so until the flood passes, do not go near the river up to Trishuli Dobhan. Stay in high places." https://t.co/cKyDfDORr9

— ANI (@ANI) October 11, 2026

The five missing, two women and three men, were staying at a sheep shed in Chumnubri Rural Municipality-6. A total of 437 security personnel from the Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force have been mobilised. Four Nepali Army helicopters carried out the rescues, and six people were airlifted from Jagat, an area at risk of landslides.

The rescue count has risen through the day. Early updates counted 36 people rescued, including one foreigner, before the figure reached 82. Emergency medical response teams in Gorkha, Lamjung and Tanahun were placed on standby. Home Minister Sudan Gurung also issued a public warning about the river surge on social media.

Warnings That Reached People

The authority sent early SMS alerts to residents of Gorkha, Dhading and Benighat in Chitwan. One trekking-news report suggests the number of missing is not higher because people took those warnings seriously and moved to higher ground. Residents along the river have been urged to stay in safe locations and avoid risky bridges and roads.

The authority also sent SMS alerts to 221 emergency responders across Gorkha, Dhading, Tanahun, Chitwan and both East and West Nawalparasi.

What It Means For Travel

The flood hit a corridor used by popular treks. The Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal advised tourists to put plans in the Manaslu region on hold until authorities assess the damage. Travellers should check official advisories before booking.

The Manaslu Circuit runs through this river valley, and the Tsum Valley trek also lies in the affected area. One trekking operator reports that tourists staying in riverside lodges had to flee when the water rose. Other operators say the Everest and Annapurna regions are in different river systems and are not affected by this flood. Those are operators' assessments, so official confirmation is worth checking.

Cause And Context

A three-member team of drone operators and geologists has been sent to investigate the cause.

The flood follows a much larger disaster on 26 August. That flood along the mountainous Nepal-China border left more than 1,400 people dead and thousands more missing.

Scientists believe the 26 August flood was triggered when a large mass of ice and rock collapsed from a glacier near the Nepal-Tibet border. At least 84,270 people were affected, including around 32,000 children. Property damage in Nepal was estimated at more than NPR 277.79 billion, about US$1.8 billion.

The warning systems also faced a very different test on that date. Upstream monitoring stations were swept away before alerts could be sent, and the system, configured for monsoon and perennial floods, did not detect the flood in time. The SMS alerts on 11 October suggest the response was faster this time, though the two floods had different causes.

What Remains Unknown

Several answers are still pending. The cause of the 11 October flood has not been formally confirmed, and the final count of lost homes is yet to be settled. The fate of the five missing people is not known, and there is no confirmed date for when trekking routes in the valley will reopen. Authorities are still assessing the damage.