Nepal: Five people missing after another spectacular flood

The nightmare continues for Nepal. Six weeks after the deadly flood on its border with China, a flash flood once again affected the center of the country. The authorities issued the alert this Sunday morning after the rupture of a dam caused by a landslide which had blocked the flow of the Budi Gandaki river, said the authority in charge of emergency situations.

“Five people are missing and several houses were swept away by the flood,” said the head of the authority, Dharam Raj Uprety. Videos posted on social networks show the flow carrying numerous debris rising from the mountain and carrying away buildings near the river. The army dispatched four helicopters to the region, saying it had evacuated at least 49 people.

A flood similar to that of August

On August 26, an immense wave caused by the collapse of a glacier and the side of a mountain swept into the Trishuli river valley, carrying away houses, roads, bridges and dams several dozen kilometers downstream. The toll is heavy: 1,400 dead and 5,000 missing. “Sunday’s flood is very similar […] it’s scary, it’s a nightmare for us,” reacted Laxmi Gurung, an official from the stricken village of Chumnubri. “Our house was swept away, we no longer have electricity, the bridges were destroyed, but there were no victims.”

Floods and landslides are common in Nepal and South Asia, especially during the summer monsoon. At least 21 people died in September, according to the Nepalese agency.

Scientists estimate that the frequency and violence of these episodes are worsened by climate change. The August 26 disaster has been widely attributed to global warming, which is accelerating the melting of glaciers and destabilizing the geology of the Himalayas.