New Delhi: A flash flood carrying mud, sediment and debris swept through Nepal’s Budhi Gandaki river system early on Sunday (October 11). Five people are missing as per reports, while nearly 40 homes have been destroyed. Authorities have also rescued at least 50 people from Gorkha district, where the incident occurred.This is the moment a flash flood swept away a building complex in central Nepal. Find out more: https://t.co/97zYhKla17 https://t.co/Af3BYWlmaC— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) October 12, 2026Warnings for communities living along the Budhi Gandaki, Trishuli and Narayani river systems were also issued as water levels fluctuated. According to one report, a 341-MW Budhi Gandaki hydropower site at Selleri has been damaged by the flash flood as well. As per preliminary accounts of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), an intergovernmental knowledge and learning centre based in Kathmandu, failure of a temporary landslide blockage near Chumchet in Gorkha may have triggered the event. “Current analysis points to the possible failure of a temporary landslide blockage that released a heavily sediment-laden flood downstream,” said Qianggong Zhang, strategic lead on Climate and Environmental Risks for ICIMOD, “Events like this demonstrate why monitoring and evaluating unstable slopes and river systems together is essential in steep mountain catchments, where hazards can develop rapidly and affect communities far downstream.”The country had recently witnessed a devastating flash flood in August, triggered by a rock-ice avalanche that broke off from the Langtang Lirung glacier in Rasuwa district on the Nepal-China border. Nearly 1,500 people had died because of the disaster, with more than 5,000 missing.“Coming so soon after the Gyirong-Rasuwa disaster, this event is another reminder of how exposed mountain communities and river corridors remain to sudden, cascading hazards,” said Pema Gyamtsho, director general of ICIMOD, in a statement, “While response efforts must remain the immediate priority, understanding what triggered this flood will be critical for reducing future risks and strengthening resilience.”