Nepal floods: five missing, 100+ trekkers stranded as UN rushes aid
A landslide-blocked dam on the Budhi Gandaki river burst early Sunday, October 11, in Nepal's Gorkha district, sweeping away dozens of houses, bridges and hydropower infrastructure. Five people are missing — two women and three men — while around 95 to 108 people have been rescued, including nine foreigners. More than 200 homes were damaged and over 650 people affected.
Over 100 foreign trekkers were left stranded along the Manaslu Circuit, a popular Himalayan trail. The Nepal Army deployed four helicopters and 700 personnel for rescue and relief, and four hydropower projects with a combined 412 MW capacity were damaged.
The United Nations rushed aid on Monday, with the World Food Programme sending three trucks of ready-to-eat food and UN agencies using drones and satellite imagery to map damage in areas cut off by road. The disaster comes barely seven weeks after August 26 floods that killed more than 1,400 people.
