Over 100 foreign trekkers stranded in Nepal

More than 100 foreign trekkers have been stranded along Nepal’s popular Manaslu trekking route after flash floods washed away bridges, hiking trails and hundreds of homes in the central Gorkha district, a local official said on Monday.
Bhuwan Raj Ojha, an official of the Manaslu Conservation Area Project, told Reuters that parts of the trekking route had been swept away, leaving trekkers stranded in different locations.
Trekkers seeking to return need to be rescued, while those wishing to continue their journeys can proceed from safe locations, he said, adding that restaurants and tea houses along the route remained safe.
The flash floods struck on Sunday after a landslide blocked the Budhi Gandaki River before dawn in Gorkha, about 100 kilometres west of Kathmandu.
Authorities rescued 321 people, including 12 foreigners, on Monday. The army said rescue operations would continue on Tuesday as the river’s water level receded.
There were no reports of deaths in the latest flooding, but five villagers remained unaccounted for after muddy water and debris swept away more than 200 homes. The disaster also damaged infrastructure, including three hydroelectric plants, according to national disaster authorities.
Meanwhile, nine Bangladeshi trekkers stranded in Jagat village were awaiting possible helicopter evacuation, Bangladeshi trekker Md Shahadat Hossain told the Anadolu news agency.
“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.
Although the group was safe, electricity had been unavailable since Sunday, communications with the outside world had been disrupted and food supplies were gradually running short, he added.
Gorkha district authorities have urged residents living along downstream riverbanks to evacuate. Disaster authorities also issued flood warnings for riverside communities in Gorkha, Tanahun, Chitwan, East Nawalparasi and West Nawalparasi districts.