Fresh flood in Trishuli River sweeps away suspension bridge in Nepal

KATHMANDU: A suspension bridge in central Nepal was swept away on Sunday morning due to a fresh flood in the Trishuli River, officials said.

The bridge connected Ghyalchowk of Gandaki Rural Municipality-8 in Gorkha district of Gandaki province with Charaudi along the Prithvi Highway.

The flood, which lasted for around three hours, swept away the bridge at around 11.30 am, said security officials.

With the flood washing away the bridge, residents of Gandaki Rural Municipality 7 and 8 have lost their access to the Prithvi Highway.

The 130-metre Ghyalchowk-Charaudi bridge served as a major accessible route for around 400 households of Ghyalchowk to transport their dairy goods and vegetables to the agricultural cooperative in Charaundi.

Now, farmers in the area will be unable to supply their produce to Charaudi.

Before this, the devastating flash floods on August 26 had swept away a bridge at Dhawadighat, a little distance downstream from here.

Locals had been using the Ghyalchowk-Charaudi Bridge as an alternative to the Dhawadighat Bridge.

The death toll from flash floods in Nepal rose to 788 on Saturday, with bodies continuing to be recovered, as authorities warned of increased water levels in the Bhotekoshi River and urged residents and rescue personnel in flood-hit districts to remain alert.

More than 2,500 people still remain missing, while nearly 9,500 people were rescued, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.