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Nepal Mountain Crashes into Kali Gandaki River: India on High Alert Amid Landslide and Flood Risks
- •A massive mountainside collapsed into Nepal's Kali Gandaki River near Lete, Mustang district, triggered by relentless monsoon rains, causing severe flooding and landslides.
- •The incident, captured on video, occurred during severe weather on September 27, leading to a temporary natural dam that quickly breached, averting an immediate downstream burst.
- •Simultaneously, a cliff collapse in Chame and a fatal avalanche on Mount Himlung occurred, with a rescue team deployed to search for 12 missing workers and guides.
- •The disaster has killed at least 24 people, left 14 missing, affected over 747 families, and displaced approximately 1,500 people in Gandaki province, destroying homes and infrastructure.
- •The Kali Gandaki River flows into India as the Gandak River, prompting Bihar to place 17 districts on high alert due to surging water levels and the Valmikinagar Barrage recording its highest discharge of the year.
Key Questions Answered
A colossal landslide caused an entire section of a mountainside to fail and crash directly into the swollen Kali Gandaki River near Lete on Sunday, September 27, 2026, after days of torrential monsoon rainfall supersaturated alpine soil and weakened the mountain's geological framework.
The collapse occurred directly into the Kali Gandaki River, which flows south into India as the Gandak River. Driven by heavy rainfall and runoff, the Valmikinagar Barrage recorded its highest discharge of the year at 5.44 lakh cusecs, prompting the Bihar government to place 17 North Bihar districts on high alert.
The latest wave of severe flooding and landslides in Nepal has killed at least 24 people, while 14 others remain missing. Additionally, a separate fatal avalanche on Mount Himlung buried a base camp and triggered a search for 12 missing Nepalese workers and guides.
