Massive floods have once again caused severe damage in the Himalayan nation of Nepal.
Residents along the Budhi Gandaki River have been forced to evacuate their homes.
At least five people are missing while rescue workers search for others affected.
The flash flood struck the Gorkha district in central Nepal on Sunday.
According to authorities, dozens of houses were swept away or damaged, several bridges were destroyed, and a hydroelectric power plant under construction was affected. Power and communication towers along the river were also damaged.
The Nepalese army had rescued 49 people by Sunday afternoon. Rescue operations continued with helicopters and ground troops. The disaster management agency also evacuated villages and warned other residents to move to safe areas. The population was advised to remain vigilant until late Sunday.
The river rose dramatically within hours.
Measurements taken at one point along the river show just how immense the floodwaters were. Within a few hours, the water level there rose from around two meters to almost 8.5 meters. A hydrological measuring station was swept away by the floodwaters, as meteorologist Binod Parajuli reported. Therefore, no further data is available from that location.
Footage on social media shows the floodwaters surging through a narrow valley between high mountains, sweeping away buildings. The full extent of the damage in the remote mountain villages was initially unclear.
According to the Nepalese disaster management agency, the flood was triggered by a landslide. This initially dammed the Budhi Gandaki River near the village of Chumchure. When the resulting dam of debris and earth broke, the impounded waters poured downstream.
The cause was initially unclear
Other possible triggers were also discussed. Experts pointed to the possibility that a landslide might have temporarily blocked the river or a tributary. There were also reports of a possible ice avalanche upstream.
The exact cause was not yet definitively established.
According to experts, however, the current wave of debris and floodwater was significantly smaller and moved more slowly than the devastating flash floods in August.
The Budhi Gandaki flows into the Trishuli River, a major waterway in the region surrounding the capital, Kathmandu. The current disaster occurred downstream of another tributary, in whose catchment area a glacier collapse had taken place during the previous disaster.
Children again affected by disaster.
The renewed destruction is particularly devastating for the affected families. Many people have had to leave their homes and don’t know where they will find safe shelter or how they will obtain essential supplies. The flood struck the region just as Dashain, one of the most important holidays in the Nepalese calendar, was beginning.
The aid organisation Save the Children mobilized an emergency team. “Children’s lives have been torn apart again in an instant,” said Tara Chettry, the organization’s director in Nepal. The full extent of the damage is not yet known. Many children may have lost their homes, schools, and communities. Furthermore, numerous children in Gorkha are still traumatized and frightened after the severe flooding in August. “They have had little chance to recover,” Chettry warned.
