Budhigandaki flood: 95 rescued, 45 houses fully damaged

The Nepal Army has said that 95 people affected by Sunday's flood in Gorkha's Budhigandaki river have been rescued. According to the Army, they were brought to safety by 7 pm Sunday with the help of four helicopters, including an Mi-17, and ground forces deployed for the operation.

Of those rescued, 35 people, including nine foreigners, have been brought to Kathmandu.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, 45 houses have been completely destroyed by the flood and 27 houses partially damaged. Five people caught in the flood remain unaccounted for. Nepal Police, in its update as of 6 pm Sunday, had reported that 26 houses and four bridges had been swept away.

The flash flood, carrying mud, hit the Budhigandaki after a dry landslide fell into the Ungilung stream in Chumnubri Rural Municipality-6 on Sunday morning. The flood swept away two motorable bridges and four suspension bridges in Chumnubri, Dharche and Aarughat rural municipalities. Reports have also said that more than a hundred houses and cattle sheds in northern Gorkha have been swept away.