A flash flood has swept through the Timure and Syabrubesi areas of Rasuwa, damaging markets and hydropower projects and prompting authorities to warn communities downstream along the Trishuli river.

The Rasuwa District Administration Office said it had received reports of a sudden surge in the Bhote Koshi river, which enters Nepal from Tibet. The administration warned that the surge could raise water levels in the Trishuli and increase the risk of flooding downstream.

It urged people fishing or working in the Trishuli to move away from the river immediately and asked those living along its banks, as well as hydropower projects and other infrastructure near the river, to take precautions and make necessary preparations.

Rasuwa Chief District Officer Narendra Pariyar said the extent of the damage was not yet known and that the cause of the sudden flooding remained unclear.

“We have received reports that the flood came suddenly. We do not yet know the extent of the damage. We have heard that it caused fairly significant damage. We are trying to contact people in the affected areas,” he told Kantipur.

Pariyar said there had been no rainfall around the district headquarters.

“There has been no rain here. The sun is out. We don’t know whether a glacial lake burst upstream or what happened. The flood appeared suddenly. It appears to have affected settlements. We do not have all the details yet,” he said.

The flood washed away a hydropower project and damaged other projects, including the Chilime Hydropower Project, resident Ajay Shrestha said.

“It looked as though the water had come after a dam had burst,” Shrestha said.

Given the scale of the flooding, Shrestha said downstream areas could also be affected. The exact source of the flood has yet to be established.

The Dhading District Administration has deployed security personnel along the Trishuli river and urged residents to remain alert, warning that rising water levels could affect parts of Nuwakot and Dhading, according to Chief District Officer Laxmi Prasad Pandey Gautam.

The administration has also asked people to immediately report any disaster-related incident to the District Emergency Operations Centre, local representatives or the nearest security unit.

Meanwhile, a high-level team led by Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle, Finance Ministry Secretary Ghanshyam Upadhyaya and Customs Department Director General Yamlal Bhusal is coordinating with the Timure Customs Office and other agencies on search and rescue and other necessary measures, the Finance Ministry said.

The Timure Customs Office is located near the Nepal-China border in Rasuwa.

Rescue helicopter turns back after flood sweeps away Timure helipad

Meanwhile, a helicopter sent to rescue people stranded after floods and landslides in Timure, Rasuwa, returned to Kathmandu without landing after floodwaters swept away the local helipad. 

An Altitude Air helicopter had flown to Timure for the rescue operation, but was unable to land because there was no safe place to touch down, pilot Subash Khadka said.

 He said the village itself was barely visible from the air.Khadka said the flow of the Trishuli river had risen suddenly.

“It looked as though a river that had been frozen suddenly burst its banks. The entire village of Timure was out of sight,” he said, urging authorities to issue warnings downstream.The floods and landslides are believed to have caused extensive damage in Timure. Details of the casualties and destruction were not immediately available.

PM Shah calls security council meeting over

Prime Minister Balendra Shah has called a meeting of the National Security Council to assess the flooding that hit Rasuwa on Wednesday morning and coordinate the government’s response. 

Shah will chair the meeting, which is expected to review the scale of the disaster, rescue efforts and preparations for possible flooding downstream.

The flooding comes just over a year after a devastating flash flood struck the same area. On July 8, 2025, a flood originating in Tibet’s Lhende river surged into the Bhote Koshi, killing at least nine people and leaving 19 missing. It swept away the Miteri Bridge linking Nepal and China, damaged the Rasuwagadhi dry port and hydropower infrastructure, and severely damaged the road between Syabrubesi and Rasuwagadhi.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.