Early on the morning of 11 October 2026 — Ghatasthapana, the first day of Dashain — a new flash flood tore down the Budhi Gandaki River in Gorkha district, sweeping away homes and bridges in riverside settlements. This is a separate, new incident from the catastrophic 26 August Rasuwa/Bhotekoshi disaster that our Flood Tracker has been following since — though it's hitting a region still recovering from that earlier flood, and arrives at the worst possible moment for families preparing to celebrate Dashain.
What happened
According to early reporting, a landslide struck between Lokpa and Chumling in Ward No. 6 of Chumnubri Rural Municipality, apparently blocking the Syar Khola, a tributary of the Budhi Gandaki River. When that blockage gave way, a surge of water rushed downstream from around 4am local time, hitting Jagat and nearby villages before communities had much warning. The exact cause has not been officially confirmed.
Damage and casualties — still conflicting
As with most fast-moving disaster coverage, early reports don't agree. One account says around a dozen houses and two suspension bridges were swept away, along with damage to a hydropower project camp. Another puts the toll higher — up to 35 houses destroyed and six bridges washed away across Gorkha district. On casualties, one report states at least 10 people are unaccounted for since Sunday morning, while another says no casualties were immediately confirmed.
- →Treat all figures above as preliminary — they will likely be revised as rescue and assessment teams reach the affected villages
- →This flood is not included in the nationwide death/missing toll on our Flood Tracker, which tracks NDRRMA's confirmed count for the 26 August disaster specifically
- →Jagat village was among the hardest hit; the Nepal Army rescued six people from the area after they were caught near a landslide-risk zone
The response so far
The Nepal Army has deployed personnel and helicopters for rescue and relief operations, and authorities have issued evacuation warnings urging residents along the Budhi Gandaki to move to higher ground immediately. Nepal's Prime Minister confirmed the Jagat rescue and said the response is ongoing.
Why this matters right now
Gorkha is one of the eight districts already hit hardest by August's flood disaster, so this new event lands on communities with less capacity to absorb another shock — damaged infrastructure, families still displaced, and recovery efforts still under way. It also falls on Ghatasthapana, the very start of Dashain, Nepal's biggest festival, adding to an already difficult season for many families.
This is a fast-developing story and figures are changing by the hour. We'll update this post and the Flood Tracker as official NDRRMA figures and confirmed reports come in — don't treat any single number here as final.
Follow live, sourced updates on both the August disaster and this new flooding
Open the Nepal Flood Tracker →