More than 100 foreign trekkers remain stranded along Nepal’s Manaslu trekking route after flash floods in Gorkha district swept away bridges, sections of the trail and more than 200 homes.
Bhuwan Raj Ojha, an official with the Manaslu Conservation Area Project, said the trekkers were trapped in separate locations after parts of the popular route became impassable.
Rescue teams were working to reach those who wanted to leave, while trekkers wishing to continue were able to do so from areas considered safe, Mr Ojha said. Restaurants and tea houses along the route were also safe, he added.
Rescue operation continues in Gorkha
The flooding followed a landslide before dawn on Sunday that blocked the Budhi Gandaki River, about 100km west of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu.
Authorities rescued 321 people, including 12 foreign nationals, on Monday. The army said the operation would continue on Tuesday, despite the river level beginning to fall.
No deaths had been reported in the latest flooding, although five villagers were unaccounted for after black mud and debris surged through communities along the river.
The floods also damaged infrastructure, including three hydroelectric plants. Authorities in Gorkha have asked residents living along the river downstream to evacuate, while warnings have been issued in the Gorkha, Tanahun, Chitwan, East Nawalparasi and West Nawalparasi districts.
Md Shahadat Hossain, a Bangladeshi trekker sheltering in Jagat village, said nine Bangladeshis were waiting for the possibility of 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.
