More than 100 foreign tourists are stranded in central Nepal after flash floods in Gorkha district swept away bridges, trails and hundreds of homes, according to a local official. Bhuwan Raj Ojha, an official with the Manaslu Conservation Area Project, told Reuters on Monday that the trekkers were stuck at various points along the popular Manaslu trekking route after part of the trail was washed away.
"Those who want to return because of the floods need to be rescued. Those who want to continue their journey can do so from safe locations," he told Reuters from Gorkha. "There are restaurants and lodges along the route. They are still safe."
The flash flood struck on Sunday, when a pre-dawn landslide blocked the Budhi Gandaki River in Gorkha district, about 100 km west of Nepal's capital, Kathmandu.
On Monday, authorities rescued 321 people, including 12 foreigners. The army said rescue operations would continue on Tuesday even as river levels recede.
The river is a tributary of the Trishuli, located downstream of another branch where a glacial landslide triggered catastrophic flooding in August that killed 1,457 people and left thousands still missing.
No casualties have been reported in the latest flood, but five residents have lost contact after black mud and debris swept away more than 200 homes and damaged infrastructure, including three hydropower plants, according to the national disaster response agency.
Md Shahadat Hossain, a Bangladeshi tourist stranded in Jagat village, told Anadolu news agency that nine Bangladeshis were waiting to be evacuated by helicopter. "We have been stuck in Jagat since yesterday. A flash flood came down from the mountain into the village and flowed through the lower part of the village," he said. "We are still safe, but since yesterday there has been no electricity, communication with the outside has been cut off and food supplies are gradually running out."
Gorkha district authorities have ordered residents living along both banks of the river downstream to evacuate. The national disaster response agency has also warned people living along rivers in Gorkha, Tanahun, Chitwan, East Nawalparasi and West Nawalparasi districts about the risk of flooding.
