A flash flood came down the Budhi Gandaki before dawn on Sunday 11 October 2026 and hit the lower Manaslu trail. A landslide had dammed the river near the entrance to Tsum Valley. When the dam broke, the water ran through Jagat, Salleri, Dobhan and Machha Khola and reached Soti by 7:30am.
No human casualties had been reported by Sunday morning. The damage is to houses, hotels and bridges, and much of it sits on the first two walking days of the Manaslu Circuit.
The Manaslu Circuit Trek, Tsum Valley Trek and Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek are temporarily blocked and closed for now, because a few bridges are gone. If you are booked, please wait for confirmation from us before you start. The board below is route by route, with the date each row was confirmed and who confirmed it.
Manaslu recent flood: what happened on 11 October
The water reached the villages at about 4am, with a loud roar. Residents, and trekkers staying in riverside hotels, fled to higher ground in the dark. Ward chair Ram Kumar Gurung said people could not even take their belongings.
At about 6:40am the Flood Forecasting Division of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology warned that a large muddy flood was moving downstream. It asked people to keep away from the riverbanks all the way to the Trishuli confluence. Its flood expert, Binod Parajuli, expected the water to take about three hours to reach Arughat.
It reached Soti Bazaar at 7:30am, according to Gorkha's Chief District Officer, Dharmendra Kumar Mishra.
Later, Chumnubri's Chief Administrative Officer, Narayan Sapkota, said the river had blocked again, with no flow seen for 15 minutes. A second surge is possible. Nepal Police asked residents of Khorlabesi, Machha Khola, Soti, Arkhet and Arughat to move to safe places.
Helicopters have been sent to Gorkha for rescue and evacuation. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said an army helicopter had already left and that market areas were being evacuated.
Budhi Gandaki flood: what caused it
It was not rain. There was no rainfall in the upper catchment, according to the disaster authority.
The Budhi Gandaki, also spelled Budi Gandaki or Burhi Gandaki, was blocked by a landslide in ward 6 of Chumnubri Rural Municipality. Ratopati reports the slide fell overnight between Lokpa and Chumling, on the trail into Tsum Valley. Assistant Chief District Officer Netra Prasad Sharma said floodwater had been held back in the Syar Khola, the river that drains Tsum, before it surged down.
Chumnubri's deputy chair, Laxmi Gurung, compared it to the Bhotekoshi flood of 26 August in Rasuwa. That one took out the road to Langtang. See Is Nepal safe to trek after the 2026 flood? for that story.
Gorkha flood effect: houses, hotels and bridges
These are early figures from the morning of 11 October. Officials say a detailed count is still under way.
- Houses. 35 houses were washed away in Paiyu and Bagar, according to deputy chair Laxmi Gurung. One early report put it at more than 10.
- Villages. Gurung reported extensive damage in Dobhan, Ghatte Khola, Jagat and Salleri. Police at the local post said early information was that Salleri bazaar had been washed away and Jagat bazaar badly damaged.
- Hotels. Hotels at Nyak Phedi were swept away, and water entered hotels along the Ghatte Khola.
- Bridges. The bridge between Nyakchet and Philim/Sirdibas, the Bailey bridge at Dobhan, the suspension bridge from Machha Khola to Kerauja, the Masi Khola bridge and the road bridge between Soti and Manbu.
- Power. Electricity in the affected area is cut.
- People. No human casualties had been reported by Sunday morning.
Lower Manaslu: the trail from Machha Khola to Philim
This is the part of the Manaslu Circuit that matters for anyone booked. On our itinerary, day 4 walks from Machha Khola to Jagat and day 5 carries on through Salleri and Philim towards Deng. Every flood report above names a place on those two days, and they are the only way up the Budhi Gandaki valley.
Higher up, the reports describe no damage at Namrung, Lho, Samagaun or Larkya La. That does not make the upper trail reachable. Until the bridges near Philim and at Dobhan are replaced or bypassed, and the river is running freely, the usual walk-in is cut.
The drive is affected too. The Soti to Manbu road bridge is gone and the flood reached Soti Bazaar, on the road towards Machha Khola. Our Manaslu Circuit trek guide has the full day-by-day route.
Tsum Valley after the flood
The flood started at the mouth of Tsum Valley. The landslide that dammed the river is on the trail between Lokpa and Chumling, which is how you walk into Tsum. The water that broke through had been held in the Syar Khola, Tsum's own river.
Reports so far describe no damage further up the valley. Nobody has reported from there yet either, so treat the whole of Tsum as unconfirmed. This covers both the Tsum Valley Trek and the Manaslu and Tsum Valley Trek.
Is Manaslu safe or not right now?
Not to start a trek this week. Three things are true at once:
- The lower trail is cut. Bridges are gone near Philim and at Dobhan, and Salleri and Jagat are badly damaged.
- The river may surge again. It was reported blocked again after the first flood.
- The damage count is not in. Officials are still assessing, and power is out in the area.
What we know is good news for people: no casualties had been reported. What we do not know yet is when the trail will be walkable. That depends on temporary bridges and on the river settling. We will update this page and the board as the Gorkha district administration and the Manaslu Conservation Area Project publish changes.
Manaslu flood effect on October and November departures
October and November are the best months on the Manaslu Circuit, and that is when this has landed. If you hold a departure:
- Wait for confirmation before you start. We will tell you when the trail is confirmed safe.
- Talk to us before you fly. We can go through your dates or a later start. Contact us with your departure date.
- Allow spare days. Even after a reopening, expect temporary bridges and slower walking on the lower trail.
The Manaslu Circuit Trek page has the full itinerary and dates.
Gandaki flood on 6 September at Namrung
This is the second Budhi Gandaki flood in five weeks. On the morning of 6 September 2026, the Therang Khola flooded at Namrung, in wards 4 and 2 of Chumnubri. It swept away four houses and a suspension bridge on the trekking route. DSP Rajkumar Shrestha of the District Police Office said there were no human casualties.
Chumnubri's chairman, Nima Lama, said locals could arrange a temporary way across on foot. On 2 October, NTNC said all trekking routes in the Manaslu Conservation Area were open for permits again. The 11 October flood hit lower down the valley, below the Tsum junction, while Namrung is above it.
Sources
- OnlineKhabar, Flash flood in Budhigandaki puts areas down to Arughat at risk, 11 October 2026
- OnlineKhabar, Flood in Budhigandaki washes away 35 houses in Chumanubri, 11 October 2026
- OnlineKhabar, Budhigandaki flood washes away motorable bridge linking Manbu and Soti, 11 October 2026
- OnlineKhabar, Flood recalls Bhotekoshi disaster, says Chumnubri Deputy Chair Gurung, 11 October 2026
- Ratopati, High flow after landslide-blocked Budhi Gandaki opens, two suspension bridges washed away (Nepali), 11 October 2026
- Ratopati, Budhigandaki river blocked again in Chumanubri, 11 October 2026
- Ratopati, Helicopters deployed for flood rescue in Chumanubri, 11 October 2026
- Ratopati, Floodwaters reach Soti Bazaar, Dobhan's Bailey bridge washed away, 11 October 2026
- Ratopati, Major damage in Machhakhola bazaar, suspension bridge to Kerauja washed away, 11 October 2026
- Nagarik, Salleri bazaar washed away, huge damage at Jagat (Nepali), 11 October 2026
- Samaya Post, Blocked Budhi Gandaki bursts, tourists and locals flee (Nepali), 11 October 2026
- myRepublica, Budhigandaki flood raises alarm along Trishuli River, 11 October 2026
- Radio Nepal, People advised to move to higher ground as large muddy flood hits Budhi Gandaki, 11 October 2026
- The Tourism Times, Trekking permits reopen across Annapurna and Manaslu conservation areas, 2 October 2026
- Ratopati, Flooding in Therang Khola damages four houses and a bridge, 6 September 2026
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