More than 100 foreign trekkers have been stranded in central Nepal, according to a local official, a day after flash floods in the Gorkha district washed away bridges, hiking trails and hundreds of homes.
Bhuwan Raj Ojha, an official of the Manaslu Conservation Area Project, told the Reuters news agency on Monday that trekkers were stranded in different areas of the popular Manaslu trekking trail because a part of the route had been swept away.
Speaking to Reuters by phone from Gorkha, he stated that hikers wishing to return due to the flood require rescue, while those who choose to continue their trekking may do so from safe locations.
“There are restaurants and tea houses along the route. They are safe”.
Flash floods struck on Sunday after a predawn landslide blocked the Budhi Gandaki River in the Gorkha district, located approximately 100km (62 miles) west of the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu.
Authorities rescued 321 people, including 12 foreigners, on Monday. The army stated that the rescue operation would continue on Tuesday, even as the water level in the river receded.
The river is a tributary of the Trishuli River, downstream from another tributary where a glacier collapse caused a catastrophic flood in August that killed 1,457 people, with thousands still missing.
National disaster authorities reported that while there were no fatalities in the latest flood, five villagers remained out of contact after black muddy sludge and debris washed away more than 200 homes and damaged infrastructure, including three hydroelectric plants.
Md Shahadat Hossain, a Bangladeshi trekker stranded in Jagat village, told the Anadolu news agency that nine Bangladeshis were waiting for a possible evacuation by helicopter.
“We have been stranded in Jagat since yesterday. A flash flood came down from above the village and flowed through its lower part,” he said.
“We are safe, but there has been no electricity since yesterday, communication with the outside world has been disrupted, and food supplies are gradually running short,” he added.
Gorkha district authorities have asked villagers living along the riverbanks downstream to evacuate.
National disaster authorities had also issued flood alerts to residents living along the river across the Gorkha, Tanahun, Chitwan, East Nawalparasi and West Nawalparasi districts.
Why it matters
Nine Bangladeshi nationals are stranded and awaiting evacuation following destructive flash floods in central Nepal.