Flash floods rage in north central Nepal, leave five people missing

Nepal's disaster management agency has evacuated villagers along the bank of the Budhi Gandaki river in the north central region as flash flooding swept away homes and other structures. 95 people, including nine foreigners, were taken to nearby towns. No casualties have been reported yet, but five people are missing.

Videos on social media show houses, bridges and sheds being swept down a valley by raging waters in the Budhi Gandaki river, which merges into the Trishuli river and is a key waterway near Nepali capital Kathmandu.

The construction sites of three hydropower plants and dozens of farms were damaged or destroyed.

Officials suggest that the flooding may have been caused by the failure of a temporary river blockage created by a landslide near the village of Chumchure.

Rescuer helicopters and soldiers raced to a village on Monday to bring food and other relief materials to residents and tourists, who were being evacuated from the area.

Authorities say an early warning allowed most people to get to higher ground before the flood hit.

Meanwhile, an official of the Manaslu Conservation Area Project says a popular trekking route is also affected, adding more than 100 foreign trekkers were stranded because part of the trail had been swept away.

Nepal is still reeling from devastating floods in August along its border with China that killed over 1,400 people and left thousands missing. Its government has announced an end to search and rescue operations of the August disaster and will instead focus on rebuilding efforts that are estimated to cost nearly 5 billion US dollars, including restoring roads and bridges cut off by flash floods.