Rescue helicopters reach flooded villages in Nepal
The Nepalese army is bringing aid supplies to the area along the Budhi Gandaki and evacuating residents and tourists.
Follow-up to: New flash flood forces villages in Nepal to evacuate Sunday, 11 October 2026, 08:48
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Rescue helicopters and troops reached flooded villages in northern Nepal on Monday. Five people are missing; according to the initial government report, no deaths have yet been recorded.
The rescue operation is taking place along the Budhi Gandaki in Gorkha district. Troops are bringing food and other aid supplies to places that are difficult to reach by road. Residents and tourists are also being taken from the affected area to safer locations.
According to Nepal’s disaster authority, 95 people have so far been taken to nearby places, including nine foreigners. The authorities say an early warning gave many residents the chance to reach higher ground before the water rose.
The flooding began after a landslide temporarily blocked the river near the village of Chumchure. When the blockage gave way, the water surged downstream as a sudden flood wave. According to initial reports, five bridges were damaged or destroyed and dozens of homes and areas of farmland were affected.
The construction sites of three hydropower plants were also damaged. The damage is making relief efforts more difficult, as roads, bridges and other connections in mountainous areas can quickly become unusable. It is not yet clear exactly how many smaller villages have been affected.
The Nepalese authorities are working with the army, police and disaster services. Lorries are bringing aid to places accessible by land; helicopters are being used for remote villages. The extent of the damage is still being assessed and may change in the coming days as teams reach more areas.
The new flooding comes on top of the effects of a much larger disaster in August along the border with China. Nepal is still working on recovery and reconstruction there. The events underline how vulnerable settlements, tourist routes and hydropower infrastructure in the Himalayas are to landslides and sudden river flows.
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The current rescue operation and the main figures have been confirmed by AP and Nepalese disaster sources. The text maintains the distinction between established damage and an investigation that is still provisional.
- confirmed Rescue helicopters and troops reached flooded villages along the Budhi Gandaki on 12 October. — AP reported this in a dispatch dated 12 October. source
- confirmed Five people are missing and no fatalities have yet been reported. — AP gives this figure in its current report. source
- confirmed 95 people, including nine foreigners, have been taken to nearby places. — AP attributes this figure to Nepal’s disaster authority. source
- confirmed A landslide temporarily blocked the river near Chumchure. — AP and Radio Nepal report this suspected cause; the wording remains cautious. source
Editor's note
The rescue operation, the number of missing people and the reported damage have been confirmed by AP and Nepalese sources. The overall damage assessment is still provisional; sources describe the precise cause as a suspected landslide blockage.Sources
- Rescue helicopters race to flood-hit Nepal villages as 5 reported missing — Associated Press
- Daily Disaster Bulletin 11 October 2026 — National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority Nepal
- Landslide-Dammed River May Have Triggered Budhi Gandaki Flood — Radio Nepal
- UN Nepal Statement: Budhi Gandaki River Flooding — Verenigde Naties in Nepal
The story so far
- Sunday, 11 October 2026, 08:48 New flash flood forces villages in Nepal to evacuate
- Sunday, 11 October 2026, 13:48 New flash flood in Nepal leaves five missing
- Monday, 12 October 2026, 10:58 Rescue helicopters reach flooded villages in Nepal (this article)
More on this in Dutch media
- NRC — „nepal gorkha”
- NU.nl — „nepal gorkha”
- De Telegraaf — „nepal gorkha”