Flood damages key bridges, cuts road network in Solukhumbu

Solukhumbu, August 17 - Traffic above Namche in Solukhumbu has come to a halt following severe flooding. The Area Police Office in Namche stated that flooding from the Thame River on Friday disrupted the tourist trail from Phakding to Namche in Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality-3, halting traffic between the lowlands and the Everest region.

Deputy Inspector of Police Hem Bahadur Katawal noted that the flood eroded 100 to 200 meters of the footpath between Phakding and Namche, blocking access from Lukla to Namche.

The floodwaters from the Thame River mixed with those from the Dudhkosi river through Bhotekosi, damaging the only path on the Everest trail. Local resident Lhakpa Nuru Sherpa informed that the flood also destroyed a local hydroelectric project’s dam, cutting off communication services in the area.

Sherpa described the situation in Thame as dire, stating, “There’s no electricity, no phone service, no TV—everything was swept away except for the locals' lives. The tourist village has been devastated.”

The flood destroyed 20 houses, hotels, lodges, a health post, and a school in Thame of Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality-5. The Nepal Army and the Nepal Police have rescued 93 people from Thame, housing them in a facility behind the army camp, with 42 more sheltered in a local community building, according to Deputy Superintendent of Police Dwarika Prasad Ghimire.

Additionally, five families in Mapyadudhkosi Rural Municipality-6 have been relocated due to damage from the flood. The flood also affected the Mapya-Khumbu Friendship Bridge in lower Solukhumbu, causing significant damage and disrupting the road network between the district headquarter Salleri and Khumbu.

Defense Minister Manbir Rai, along with a Disaster Management Committee team, has arrived in Thame by Nepali Army helicopter to assess the damage. The team includes the Solukhumbu Chief District Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police, a Nepal Army Colonel, and local MP.