Budhi Gandaki flood in Nepal's Gorkha destroys houses and bridges; five missing

A debris-laden flash flood surged down the Budhi Gandaki River in Nepal's northern Gorkha district in the early hours of Sunday, October 11, destroying houses, washing away bridges and damaging hydropower sites, according to reports by OnlineKhabar English, The Kathmandu Post and Reuters. Reuters reported that no deaths from this flood had been reported and that five villagers were out of contact.

What the reports agree on

OnlineKhabar, citing a preliminary report from Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), says at least 45 houses were completely destroyed and 27 partially damaged. It says two motorable bridges, two suspension bridges and three hydropower projects were affected, and that the powerhouse and nearby houses of the 341-megawatt Budhi Gandaki Hydropower Project at Salleri were swept away. Bridge damage cut road links between Gorkha and Dhading, and trails were washed out. The Kathmandu Post reports that more than 100 tourists in the Manaslu region could not leave Jagat, and that about 70 people, including laborers, hydropower employees and residents, were in Salleri.

Rescues and missing people

Figures rose as accounts were filed:

• ANI, carried by The Sentinel, reported the army had rescued 36 people, one of them a foreigner, and that the NDRRMA said at least five were missing.
• OnlineKhabar reported 82 people rescued, including nine foreign nationals, and five missing (two women and three men) in the Ungilung area of Chumnubri-6.
• Reuters reported that 321 people, including 12 foreigners, were rescued on Monday and that rescue would continue Tuesday.

Headlines of two other reports in the record, from The Times of India and ABP Live, carry larger figures of 40 houses, six bridges and up to 10 missing; those reports could not be opened for this article. An official with the Manaslu Conservation Area Project told Reuters that more than 100 foreign trekkers were stranded and that those who wanted to return should be rescued.

Cause

The reports describe a blockage of the river followed by a release of water, but locations differ. OnlineKhabar says the Nepal Army's preliminary reconnaissance reported a dry landslide in the Philim area of Chumnubri-3, and that this had not been conclusively established. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) said a landslide near Chumchet temporarily dammed the river and the blockage may have burst, per OnlineKhabar. ANI places a landslide between Lokpa and Chhumling.

A preliminary assessment by Nepal's Department of Mines and Geology, shared by the NDRRMA and reported by Telangana Today, describes an avalanche at about 6,000 meters followed by a landslide in the upper Ungdilung Khola that sent debris to its junction with the Syar Khola. It estimated energy equivalent to a 3.5-magnitude earthquake, with the largest surge reaching Salleri around 6:30 am at 20 to 25 meters high. NDRRMA noted this was the second major flood disaster in about six weeks, after August 26 floods on the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers.

How outlets framed it

Alethman's review of the coverage found that five independent outlets (Ada Derana, Pratidin Time, The Economic Times, The Indian Express and The New Indian Express) framed the event mainly around evacuation and warnings, and that no opposing frame appears in the record. Their reports were not among those opened for this article. Other outlets in the record focus on the damage toll, infrastructure, missing people and the cause investigation.