More than 100 foreign trekkers stranded by floods in Nepal’s Gorkha region

What the report says

More than 100 foreign trekkers were stranded in Nepal’s Gorkha district after flash floods and a landslide damaged the Manaslu trekking route, according to Al Jazeera’s reporting on Monday. The floods swept away bridges, parts of hiking trails and hundreds of homes in the area, about 100km west of Kathmandu, leaving some visitors unable to move safely through the route.

Bhuwan Raj Ojha of the Manaslu Conservation Area Project said trekkers were scattered across different points on the trail. He said some people who wanted to leave would need rescue, while others could continue from safer locations where restaurants and tea houses remained intact. Local authorities and the army were continuing rescue work after evacuating 321 people, including 12 foreigners, and officials said operations would carry on as water levels dropped.

The floods struck after a predawn landslide blocked the Budhi Gandaki River, sending water, sludge and debris through settlements. National disaster officials said more than 200 homes were damaged and infrastructure, including three hydroelectric plants, was affected. No deaths were reported in the latest flood, though five villagers were reported out of contact. An Al Jazeera report also quoted a stranded Bangladeshi trekker saying nine Bangladeshis were waiting for possible helicopter evacuation, with electricity cut and food supplies running low.

The incident adds to a series of recent flood and avalanche emergencies in Nepal, highlighting the vulnerability of mountain communities and trekking routes during the monsoon and landslide season.