Nepal flash floods sweep away 45 houses; five missing

Flash floods in central Nepal swept away about 45 houses and left at least five people missing on Sunday, officials said, weeks after a catastrophic flood killed more than 1,400 people.

The flooding hit Gorkha district after what national disaster agency chief Dharam Raj Uprety described as a dry landslide that blocked a river before the blockage burst. He said five people were unaccounted for.

The disaster agency said at least 82 people, including nine foreigners, had been rescued from affected areas. The flood also damaged three hydropower projects and four bridges.

Four helicopters were sent to support rescue and evacuation work as water levels in the Budhi Gandaki continued to rise. Authorities had earlier urged residents to move away from the river to safer areas.

Local official Laxmi Gurung of Chumnubri rural municipality said the flood looked similar to the August 26 disaster. “Our house is gone, we have no electricity... but there have been no casualties,” Gurung said.

Nepal is still recovering from August floods triggered by a mountain glacial collapse that killed more than 1,400 people and left more than 5,000 missing. Heavy rainfall in late September also caused floods and landslides that killed at least 21 people, according to the disaster agency.