What hit the Budhi Gandaki before dawn

At about 4:00 AM Nepal time on Sunday, 11 October 2026, the Budhi Gandaki River in Gorkha district turned violent without warning. No heavy rain had fallen — yet a wall of silt-heavy water, mud and boulders came down the valley through the Manaslu region, reaching Soti Bazaar at around 7:30 AM. Within hours, about 35 houses in the riverside settlements of Paiyu and Bagar were gone, and bridges, trekking trails and a hydropower site lay in ruins. It is the second flood on the Manaslu Circuit since September — and a reminder of how quickly a quiet Himalayan river can turn deadly. As our trending incidents page shows, mountain flash floods are among the fastest-moving disasters we track.

The trigger, officials say, was a landslide that briefly dammed the river. A dry landslide near Chumchet, in Ward 6 of Chumnubri Rural Municipality, blocked the Budhi Gandaki between Lokpa and Chumling, close to the entrance of the Tsum Valley. Local officials say floodwater entered from a side stream — the Wingling Khola, via Shyar Khola — and that the natural dam gave way at about 4 AM, releasing the surge downstream. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), reviewing preliminary accounts from Nepal's authorities, reached the same assessment: the failure of a temporary landslide blockage is the likely trigger.

The damage so far: houses, bridges and trails

The destruction is concentrated along the lower Manaslu corridor — the same valley every Manaslu Circuit trek walks through first. About 35 houses were washed away in Paiyu and Bagar, in Ward 3 of Chumnubri Rural Municipality, while settlements at Dobhan, Ghattekhola, Jagat, Salleri, Chumling and Lokpa were heavily damaged. Residents fled to higher ground in the dark as the river undercut its banks; footage from the valley showed buildings and sheds collapsing into the current.

At least four bridges were lost — district officials later counted six. Motorable bridges at Arughat, Tripurasundari and Soti-Manbu were swept away, along with a Bailey bridge connecting wards 1 and 3 of Dharche Rural Municipality and foot and suspension bridges on the trekking routes, including the old suspension bridge at Nakchet-Philim. The trail between Yaru Bagar and Jagat — the walk-in route every Manaslu trek uses — was swept away, and the route beyond Lokpa into the Tsum Valley is impassable. The flood also damaged the 341 MW Budhi Gandaki hydropower site at Selleri and washed away the under-construction powerhouse of the Sahaj Urja project plus seven to eight nearby houses in Salleri, carrying off construction equipment. Power and communications infrastructure suffered damage too — at one monitoring point the water rose from 2 metres to nearly 8.5 metres before the hydrological station itself was swept away.

Who is missing, and who was rescued

No deaths had been confirmed by the afternoon of 11 October — but people are missing. Nepal's national disaster authority said two women and three men were out of contact; the Gorkha district's assistant chief district officer later reported ten people missing. Among them are at least four herders who kept livestock in a seasonal shed by the Wingling Khola at Chumchet — the shed itself is gone.

The rescue effort moved fast. The Nepal Army said 49 people had been rescued by the afternoon, including a foreign national — among them six airlifted from Jagat, where landslide risk is high, and groups brought out from Nyakphedi, Yaru and Payu. According to the Manaslu Conservation Area Project, 211 foreign tourists are stuck because of the flood, and their safe evacuation is under way; the project's checkpoint at Jagat, along with registered trekking groups and riverside lodges, was reported safe.

The response: alerts, helicopters and evacuations

Nepal's disaster machinery moved within hours. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) and local emergency services issued urgent SMS and loudspeaker alerts, and at 6:40 AM the Flood Forecasting Section broadcast a stark warning: a large flood was coming down from Chumnubri Rural Municipality-6, and no one should go near the river up to Trishuli Dobhan — stay in high places. Downstream communities including Sirdibas, Khorlabesi, Machhakhola, Soti, Arkhet and Arughat were placed on high alert, with police and administrators patrolling the riverbanks and urging immediate evacuation, including in the market town of Arughat.

Prime Minister Balen Shah said a Nepali Army contingent had been deployed by air and land for search and rescue, with helicopters mobilised and a Joint Rapid Response Team airlifted from Kathmandu. Home Minister Sudan Gurung warned of the risk of another severe flood as the river kept rising and falling. Save the Children said it was deploying an emergency team, warning that many children would be in shock as families fled with what they could carry — just as the Dashain festival was beginning. Like assembling a go-bag before an earthquake, the habit that saved lives was simple: when the alert came, people climbed.

The Budhi Gandaki flash flood in context

This is not the valley's first flood this season. On 6 September, a flood took out bridges near Namrung and closed the Manaslu Circuit for three days. Today's flood covers a longer stretch of the valley and destroyed far more homes. ICIMOD describes the pattern as a cascading mountain hazard — one process triggering another: a landslide dams a river, the dam fails, and the surge amplifies damage on everything downstream. The Budhi Gandaki is a tributary of the Trishuli, and the wider region has had a brutal year — Reuters noted a glacier-collapse flood on another Trishuli tributary in August killed 1,457 people.

For trekkers, the message from local operators is blunt: do not start the Manaslu Circuit this week. The lower trail between Machha Khola and Philim — the only way in for most routes — is damaged, several bridges are gone, and the way up to Namrung, Samagaun and Larkya La runs through the wrecked section. Operators ask everyone booked to wait for official confirmation before starting and to check with their trekking agency for route updates. You can browse our other explainers — including yesterday's analysis and today's winter safety guide.

What our records show, and what they miss

What our records show is a cascading pattern, not a freak event: a dry landslide dams a Himalayan river, the dam bursts, and everything downstream pays — houses, bridges, trails, power projects. It is the second time this season on the Manaslu Circuit alone, and these are the patterns our data archive tracks — documenting them is why this publication exists.

What our records miss matters too. The missing-person count is still moving — five out of contact per the national authority, ten per the district — and remote hamlets may not yet be accounted for. Damage assessments are preliminary and will change. And where official sources and news outlets disagree on tolls, our rule is to publish the lower number with "at least" — so every figure we cite is a minimum. The true toll is higher than any published number.

The short version

  • What happened: A landslide dam burst sent a flash flood down Nepal's Budhi Gandaki River at about 4 AM on 11 October 2026.
  • Damage: About 35 houses washed away in Paiyu and Bagar; at least four bridges lost; trekking trails to Manaslu and Tsum Valley cut.
  • People: No deaths confirmed; at least five people missing; 49 rescued by the Nepal Army; 211 foreign tourists stranded.
  • Response: NDRRMA alerts, army helicopters, evacuations along the river — stay on high ground until the flood passes.
  • Trekkers: Do not start the Manaslu Circuit this week; wait for official confirmation that routes are safe.