Nepal urges villagers to evacuate after flood triggered by landslide

KATHMANDU: Nepali authorities urged villagers on Sunday to move to safer places after a massive ​flood in a river in the central part ‌of the country swept away several houses and infrastructure, but there were no reports of any casualties.

A dry landslide in Chumnubri ​village in Gorkha district, about 100 km (62 miles) ​west of Kathmandu, blocked the Budhi Gandaki River, ⁠leading to downstream flooding, authorities said.

The Budhi Gandaki is ​a tributary of the Trishuli River, downstream from another ​tributary where a glacier collapse caused a catastrophic flood in August that killed 1,457 people, with thousands still missing.

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“We have asked villagers living ​along the river banks downstream to evacuate and remain ​safe,” said Dharmendra Kumar Mishra, the Gorkha district’s most senior bureaucrat.

Mishra ‌said ⁠several houses and two suspension bridges had been swept away, and a hydroelectric project was damaged by the flood.

National disaster authorities alerted people living along the river in ​the Gorkha, ​Tanahun, Chitwan, East ⁠Nawalparasi and West Nawalparasi districts about the flood.

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“Please help ensure that people in at-risk ​areas are moved to safe locations in ​time ⁠and assist search and rescue operations as needed,” the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said in a ⁠social media ​post.

Officials said army and police ​rescue personnel had reached the area and were also monitoring the situation ​from a helicopter.