In an unusual flooding event in the Everest region, the swollen Thame River destroyed 12 houses, including a school and a hotel, in ward 5 of Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality in Solukhumbu District on Friday.

A local went missing in the flood, police said.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Dwarika Prasad Ghimire of District Police Office, Solukhumbu said that the Thame River, which runs along the border of Dolakha and Solukhumbu districts, suddenly flooded, sweeping through the settlement.

Videos posted on social media showed people running to safety following the flooding.

According to Solukhumbu Chief District Officer Devi Khatri Pandey, teams from the Nepal Army and Nepal Police reached the flooded area and were actively conducting search and rescue operations.

Lhakpa Chhiri Sherpa, the spokesperson for Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, said the flood may have been triggered by either a glacier lake outburst or the rupture of an artificial lake formed by a landslide.

Chief District Officer Pandey said that although there are rumours of a glacial lake outburst, it has not yet been confirmed. She added that the full extent of the damage was being assessed as heavy rain continued for hours in the affected area.

The damage was caused by a flooded Thame rivulet, one of the tributaries of Dudhkoshi River. Authorities have warned residents downstream of a flash flood.

Seven houses in the region remain at risk. Communication and electricity services in the area have been disrupted.

Meanwhile, the Nepal Army personnel rescued six people from the area.

According to Brigadier General Gaurav Kumar KC, also the spokesperson for the Nepal Army, the team that reached the scene has relocated six individuals at high risk from the flood to a safe location. Spokesperson KC said the water flow in the river is now gradually decreasing.

He further warned of the looming threat of potential downstream flooding, urging residents to remain vigilant and prepared.

Immediately after the incident, the Ministry of Home Affairs, in coordination with the Defence Ministry, directed the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force, and Nepal Police for search, rescue, and disaster management operations in response to the devastating flood. The ministry instructed Solukhumbu Chief District Officer Pandey to oversee and manage search and rescue operations in the flood-affected areas.

Defence Minister Manbir Rai said the ministry had promptly directed the army leadership to deploy the security force in coordination with the home ministry in the rescue efforts.

“I have talked to the home minister as well as the acting army chief with regard to mobilising the security agencies to save the people’s lives,” said Rai.