[Anchor]
Even before the scars of the massive floods have fully healed, another flash flood has hit Nepal. Although the area is a famous trekking destination frequented by many tourists, residents were able to minimize damage by calling each other and evacuating early.
Chief Correspondent Choi Go-un reports from Beijing.
[Reporter]
A torrent mixed with black mud and boulders rapidly sweeps down a mountain valley, destroying buildings in an instant.
With a current strong enough to sweep away house-sized rocks, even a bridge that seemed to barely hold on is washed away entirely.
The flood occurred at dawn yesterday, local time (October 11), in the Gorkha region of Gandaki Province, about 100 km west of Nepal's capital, Kathmandu. So far, at least five people are missing and 95 have been rescued.
Dozens of houses, bridges, and hydroelectric power facilities were also damaged.
The Budhi Gandaki River, where the flood occurred, originates near the Manaslu Himalayas to the north and flows far down to the south, merging at Benighat with the Trishuli River main stream—where major floods hit a month and a half ago—before flowing further down.
This flood, like the major floods in August, is estimated to have been caused by a massive amount of water and debris gushing down after a high-altitude landslide blocked the waterway and suddenly burst.
Fortunately, the scale was smaller than the August floods, and the debris flow moved more slowly, resulting in less destructive power.
Hearing the roaring sound of the swollen valley stream two hours before authorities issued an evacuation warning, residents called each other to warn that the river could overflow, evacuating to higher ground in advance and significantly reducing casualties.
However, this high-altitude flood striking Nepal once again, just 46 days after the massive floods, clearly demonstrates a pattern of frequent landslides and floods driven by climate change.
A British research team recently released an analysis showing that the building area exposed to flood risks in the Himalayan region, including Nepal, India, and China, has increased by 46% over seven years, with the population in high-risk areas reaching 290,000.
(Video editing: Kim Byung-jik, Design: Park Tae-young, Video source: X (@OmprakashRast13))
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.