Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: A sudden flood in the Budhigandaki River has caused extensive damage in Gorkha district, sweeping away several small market settlements, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said on Sunday.
The flood, carrying mud and debris, struck shortly before dawn. Authorities are collecting information from local residents to assess the extent of the damage, the authority said.
Laxmi Gurung, vice chairperson of Chumnubri Rural Municipality, said flooding in Syarkhola in Tsum Valley had raised the water level in the Budhigandaki River.
Gurung said a landslide blocked the river at around 3:45 a.m., causing water to accumulate before it surged downstream, carrying debris.
“Although no casualties have been reported so far, several settlements, including Khadekhola, Salleri, Paiyun and Bagar, have been swept away,” Gurung said. “Houses and farmland have also been washed away.”
The disaster management authority has urged people living along the Budhigandaki and downstream areas to remain alert, extending the warning to the Trishuli River, of which the Budhigandaki is a tributary.
