Flash Flood Ravages Nepal’s Manaslu Trekking Zone, Leaving Villages in Ruins and Tourists Stranded

In the early hours of Sunday, before the sun had fully risen, the Budhi Gandaki river burst its banks in Nepal’s remote Manaslu trekking area. The water roared down the valley of Chumnubri, tearing through villages, sweeping away an estimated 35‑40 houses and six wooden bridges in a matter of minutes.

Rescue teams say the chaos began around 4 a.m. when a landslide is thought to have temporarily blocked a tributary, allowing water and debris to pool behind it. When the blockage gave way, a wall of mud and floodwater slammed into settlements downstream, destroying a primary school, a construction camp for the 341 MW Budhi Gandaki hydropower project, and putting another 20‑plus houses at risk of collapse.

Local authorities reacted quickly. By 6.20 a.m. they had received credible reports of the surge, and within twenty minutes the first SMS alerts were broadcast to residents of downstream districts. Almost two lakh messages were sent in two waves, urging people to climb to higher ground and stay away from riverbanks.

The Nepalese Army stepped in, hauling out 49 survivors from the flood‑hit zone. Unfortunately, five villagers – two women and three men – are still unaccounted for, and a small group of herders remains out of contact. Officials have not yet confirmed the exact cause of the landslide, but they warn that another blockage upstream cannot be ruled out.

Meanwhile, the flood struck a hard blow to the country's peak autumn trekking season. More than 150 foreign tourists, most of them in the midst of the famed Manaslu circuit, found themselves marooned at three entry points: roughly 100 at Jagat, another 17 at Lokpa and about 40 at Chhekampar in the Chum Valley. Conservation officers say the trekkers are safe, and helicopter evacuations are being coordinated, though the damaged trails and missing suspension bridges will keep many on the ground for days.

Downstream districts – Dhading, Tanahun, Chitwan and both East and West Nawalparasi – received evacuation alerts as the Budhi Gandaki river surged to 8.4 metres at Arughat, well above the danger level of 5 metres. The flood also ripped away a river‑monitoring station, cutting off real‑time water‑level data and adding to the uncertainty.

Just a month and a half ago, the Bhote Koshi‑Trishuli river system unleashed a catastrophic flood that claimed more than 1,400 lives. The recent Manaslu disaster is a stark reminder that Nepal’s rugged terrain remains vulnerable to sudden, devastating hydrological events.

As rescue crews continue their search for the missing and authorities assess the damage, the focus now shifts to rebuilding the destroyed bridges, restoring the hydropower site, and getting the trekking routes back to safety for the upcoming season.