- October 13, 2026
ADRRN member Bagmati Welfare Society Nepal (BWSN) has shared its first situation report on the flood that tore through the Budhi Gandaki River in Gorkha district before dawn on 11 October 2026.
A dry landslide in upper Chumnubri Rural Municipality dammed the river overnight. When the water broke through, a debris-laden flood swept down the valley through Chumnubri, Dharche and Arughat. At least 35 houses were washed away in Paiyu and Bagar, along with at least six bridges, a primary school at Ghattekhola, the Budhi Gandaki hydropower construction camp, and hotels and shops in the trekking-trail markets. Four to five herders on high pasture are still out of contact.
No deaths have been reported. Local warnings reached communities in Dharche around 03:30, before the flood arrived, and local leaders credit this early alert and pre-dawn evacuation with saving lives.
The danger has not passed. By mid-morning the river at Arughat stood at 8.43 m, well above the 5 m danger level, and it was re-blocking upstream. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority has put six districts on alert as far down as the Narayani. This is the second landslide-dam flood in the valley in five weeks, and it came on the first day of Dashain, when many families are travelling home.
With bridges and trails gone, upper Chumnubri is largely reachable only by helicopter. BWSN anticipates urgent needs for shelter, food, safe water, search for the missing, temporary learning space, and psychosocial support, to be confirmed with local governments.
Read the full situation report here: Budhi_Gandaki_Flood_SitRep_1
