Budhigandaki flood: What the report says about the gap between local warnings and official records
Summary
Residents in Gorkha reported flooding in the Budhigandaki river before sunrise on Sunday, while the NDRRMA later said a landslide blocked the river at 5:30am and triggered a flash flood. Rescue teams, helicopters and security personnel were deployed as evacuations, relief and search efforts expanded across the affected areas.
Key Points
- Residents first warned about flooding on social media before 5am, before the official disaster report recorded the landslide at 5:30am.
- The NDRRMA said the landslide on Shringi Himal blocked the Wingilung stream and then the Budhigandaki river, causing a major flash flood.
- Nepali Army helicopters rescued 95 people, including nine foreign nationals, while five people from Wingilung and Chumchet remain missing.
- Authorities sent mass SMS alerts, deployed hundreds of security personnel and placed health response teams on standby across multiple districts.
