More than 100 foreign trekkers are cut off in central Nepal after flash floods tore through Gorkha district on Sunday, a local official has said. The flooding also carried away bridges, walking paths and hundreds of houses.
Bhuwan Raj Ojha, an official with the Manaslu Conservation Area Project, told Reuters on Monday that the visitors were scattered across several points on the Manaslu route because a section of the path had been destroyed. He said hikers wishing to head home because of the water should be rescued, while those wanting to carry on could do so from secure spots. Eateries and tea shops lining the path were deemed safe, he added.
Trekkers wait for help on the Manaslu route
Md Shahadat Hossain, a Bangladeshi trekker held up in Jagat village, told Anadolu that nine of his countrymen were awaiting a possible helicopter evacuation. He said the group had been stuck since the previous day, after a torrent came down from above the settlement and ran through its lower section.
Hossain also said the group was safe but facing growing hardships. Power had been out since the previous day, phone and internet links were down, and food supplies were gradually dwindling.
Rescue operation continues as river level drops
Authorities rescued 321 people on Monday, including 12 foreigners. The army said operations would resume on Tuesday, even though the water in the Budhi Gandaki River had started to fall after a predawn landslide blocked it on Sunday. The river lies roughly 100km (62 miles) west of Kathmandu.
The Budhi Gandaki feeds into the Trishuli River. Upstream on another tributary, a glacier collapse in August produced a catastrophic flood that killed 1,457 people, with thousands still unaccounted for.
Villages hit by mud and debris in Gorkha
National disaster authorities said no deaths had been reported from the latest flood, but five villagers could not be reached. Black sludge and debris swept away more than 200 homes and damaged infrastructure, including three hydroelectric plants.
Gorkha district authorities have told villagers on the lower riverbanks to evacuate, while national agencies have warned residents in Gorkha, Tanahun, Chitwan, and East and West Nawalparasi districts about the flood risk.
