Pokhara, September 27
At least 14 people have died and hundreds have been affected by floods and landslides across Gandaki Province after three days of continuous heavy rainfall.
According to preliminary figures from the Gandaki Province Police Office, three people are injured and two remain missing, while 179 houses have been completely destroyed and 28 partially damaged. Another 295 houses are considered at high risk.
A total of 512 households, involving 1,684 people, have been displaced or affected by the disasters. Twelve livestock sheds have also been destroyed and 44 livestock have died.
Four members of family killed in Baglung
In Nisi Khola Rural Municipality-3 of Baglung, a landslide buried a house at around 3:45am on Sunday, killing a mother and her three children.
The victims have been identified as 39-year-old Shyam Kumari BK and her sons Manoj, 12, Mukesh, 9, and Nisan, 5.
The family was asleep when the debris came down from above the house, leaving them no opportunity to escape.
Shyam Kumari’s 14-year-old daughter, Muskan, survived because she had gone to her grandparents’ home on Saturday.
According to Kuvir BK, ward chair of Nisi Khola Rural Municipality-2, the family had built their house on a hillside and had not anticipated a landslide or flood despite the continuing rain.
The four bodies were recovered, post-mortems were conducted in the presence of relatives and the funerals were held on Sunday, according to ward chair BK.
Flooding has also damaged at least 10 to 12 houses in Jhiwa Khola Bazaar in ward 4. Because the flooding occurred around 10:30am, many residents had already moved to safer locations and no further loss of life was reported there.
Another person died in Talakot Rural Municipality-10 of Baglung after a landslide buried a house while he was sleeping. The victim was identified as 59-year-old Man Bahadur Roka.
Baglung Chief District Officer Krishna Prasad Acharya said landslides had blocked several roads and damaged electricity and telecommunications towers.
“We are still collecting details of the damage. Our first priority is to restore electricity and network services,” Acharya said. “There is no electricity or network across much of the district, and major roads are also blocked.”
Three killed and four missing in Myagdi
Myagdi has suffered the second-highest human and physical losses in Gandaki Province after Baglung.
Three people have died in landslides in the district, while four others remain missing and several people have been injured.
Myagdi Chief District Officer Ganesh Gaire said Annapurna and Malika rural municipalities and Beni have reported casualties and significant damage.
Four people are missing in Annapurna Rural Municipality, where one body has been recovered. In Malika Rural Municipality, two people were reported missing, with one rescued unconscious. Another person was reported buried in Bhamkini of Beni-3.
Kumari Wali BK, estimated to be around 35, died in a landslide in Beni-3.
In Ghiwang of Annapurna Rural Municipality-5, 75-year-old Sukumari Garbuja and another woman, estimated to be around 55-year-old Domaya Garbuja, were reported dead.
Kiran Pun, who had gone missing in Aula of Malika Rural Municipality-3, was found unconscious and rescued. The search for two others is continuing, according to local journalist Santosh Gautam.
Two people from Annapurna Rural Municipality-3 were rescued by a Nepal Army helicopter and brought to Beni.
Floods and landslides have also damaged several hydropower projects in Myagdi.
According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Rajan Karki, search operations are continuing for those still missing. Electricity and telecommunications services have also been disrupted in the district.
Rising Kali Gandaki raises concerns
The water level of the Kali Gandaki River began rising on Saturday and turned into a major flood by Sunday morning.
The river has eroded parts of Beni Bazaar, putting settlements along its banks at risk.
Floodwaters also eroded the land connecting the Beni-Jomsom bridge at Pokhare Bagar, cutting off road access to Jomsom.
The Kali Gandaki has caused damage from Mustang and Myagdi through Parbat and Syangja and as far as Devghat in Tanahun.
67 houses swept away in Parbat
In Farse of Jaljala Rural Municipality-8, Parbat, the Kali Gandaki River has swept away an entire settlement.
Parbat Chief District Officer Ganga Bahadur Chhetri said 67 houses had been completely swept away and another 23 were at high risk.
“Sixty-seven houses in Farse Bazaar, which lies along the Kali Gandaki, appear to have been completely destroyed, while another 23 are at high risk,” Chhetri said. “The river erosion has taken away those houses.”
Residents had moved to safer locations after authorities warned from September 24 that continued heavy rainfall could trigger floods and landslides.
“They are currently staying with relatives or neighbours,” Chhetri said. “The Gandaki Province government and district administration are providing essential supplies for the time being.”
A suspension bridge connecting Parbat and Baglung has also been swept away.
Flooding from the Kali Gandaki has inundated houses in Bihadi Rural Municipality-6 of Parbat and Galyang Municipality-5 of Syangja. Initial reports suggested around 30 houses were flooded, although officials are still assessing the damage.
Manang cut off as floods damage houses and bridges
Manang has also suffered damage from floods, with houses, bridges and causeways swept away.
Communication with several parts of the district has been disrupted because electricity and mobile network services are down, making it difficult for authorities to collect information.
Manang Chief District Officer Mukti Prasad Khanal said around 10 houses had been completely destroyed and another 10 were inundated following flooding in local streams.
All four local levels in the district — Chame, Narpa Bhumi, Nasong and Manang Ngisyang — have reported varying degrees of damage.
Narpa Bhumi remains without road connectivity, while authorities have been unable to establish communication with Narpa Bhumi and Manang Ngisyang.
“Electricity has been out since the day before yesterday. There is no mobile network,” Khanal said. “We have also been unable to determine where trekkers who had gone to the area are, although their agencies have been calling.”
Two wooden bridges and two causeways in Chame have been swept away.
Five houses in Chame have been completely damaged. Khanal said there were no reported casualties there because residents had moved to safer areas before the situation worsened.
Around 10 houses in Tal village have been inundated. A suspension bridge over the Marsyangdi River in Nasong Rural Municipality has also been swept away, while roads in Nising Rural Municipality remain blocked.
Authorities say even excavators cannot currently reach several affected areas.
A micro-hydropower project in Narpa Bhumi is also reported to have been damaged.
163 houses inundated in Nawalpur
Flooding of the Narayani River has also affected Nawalpur, where 163 houses were inundated after the river rose above the danger level.
Several areas of Gaindakot were flooded, while Madhyabindu and Binayi Tribeni rural municipalities were also affected.
According to Assistant Chief District Officer Rana, some displaced residents are staying with relatives, while many have been accommodated in schools.
While low-lying areas of Gaindakot, Madhyabindu and Binayi Tribeni were inundated, floods and landslides also damaged roads and bridges in the hill municipalities of Bungdikali and Bulingtar.
Other districts including Kaski, Gorkha, Lamjung and Tanahun have also been affected by the prolonged rainfall.
In Kaski, the water level of the Seti River rose and formed a temporary pool at Ramghat in Pokhara, although the level has now started to decline. Landslides have blocked several roads, but no major loss of life has been reported there.
