FLASH FLOODS SWEEP AWAY HOMES, ROADS AND BRIDGES

KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 11 /SRNA/ – Severe flash flooding has swept away dozens of homes and damaged infrastructure, including roads, bridges and at least one hydropower plant in Nepal, officials said.

According to Abhi Narayan Kafle, a spokesperson for the Nepalese police, the flooding on the Budhi Gandaki River was triggered by a landslide upstream, causing a sudden rise in water levels.

"Several houses and roads have been destroyed or damaged, but so far there have been no reports of fatalities or missing persons," Kafle told DPA.

Local media reported that at least five people went missing.

Videos circulating on social media show settlements and bridges swept away by floodwaters carrying large amounts of debris.

Authorities used helicopters to evacuate several stranded families from the danger zone, while hundreds of other people living downstream were also moved to safety.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority issued a red alert for people living downstream.

The Budhi Gandaki is part of the Trishuli–Narayani river system, which was affected by devastating flash floods on the Bhotekoshi River earlier this year.

Floods in Nepal and Tibet in late August killed around 1,450 people, while more than 4,500 others were reported missing.