The swollen Budi Gandaki River in north-central Nepal. [AP]
The swollen Budi Gandaki River in north-central Nepal. [AP]

Fresh flash floods have struck Nepal, leaving at least five people missing, even as the country was wrapping up search and rescue operations from a devastating flood disaster in August.

According to Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority and other officials, the Budi Gandaki River in the Gorkha district of Gandaki Province in central Nepal surged about 8.4 meters above its normal level at around 5:55 a.m. Sunday (local time), inundating surrounding areas and leaving five residents missing.

The floodwaters also destroyed more than 30 homes and damaged four bridges, two telecommunications towers, 50 utility poles and construction equipment at a local hydropower plant.

Local authorities sent text messages to residents ordering an immediate evacuation, and hundreds fled to safety. The army deployed four helicopters to rescue about 40 stranded people.

The flooding was caused by a natural dam formed by a landslide in the village of Chhumnubri in Gorkha district, which temporarily blocked the Budi Gandaki River before giving way.

The latest disaster comes as Nepal was transitioning to a reconstruction phase after officially concluding search and rescue operations earlier this month following a catastrophic flood that struck the Himalayan border region between Nepal and China on Aug. 26. That disaster killed at least 1,497 people and left 5,804 missing across the two countries.


betterj@heraldcorp.com