Flood washes away road to Ghandruk village, stranding hundreds of tourists
Access to Annapurna trekking gateway cut after Modi River swells following flash flood
Hundreds of tourists were stranded in Nepal's popular mountain village of Ghandruk on Sunday after floodwaters washed away a section of road linking the Annapurna trekking gateway to the rest of the country, local officials said.
The swollen Modi River swept away a paved section of the Nayapul–Birethanti–Ghandruk road near Syaulibazar, cutting off vehicular access to Ghandruk in Kaski district, officials said.
The flooding was triggered after the Kimrung Khola, a tributary in Annapurna Rural Municipality-11, overflowed, sending a surge of water into the Modi River.
While trekkers on foot were still able to travel, tourists who had driven to Ghandruk were unable to leave after the road was severed.
About 300 domestic tourists who had travelled to Ghandruk to spend the three-day public holiday were stranded in the village, according to Krishna Gurung, treasurer of the Ghandruk Tourism Entrepreneurs Committee.
"The road has been washed away and vehicles cannot operate," Gurung said. "Most visitors came in their own vehicles and are waiting for the road to reopen. We are also looking for an alternative route for smaller vehicles."
Annapurna Rural Municipality said repair work was underway on an unpaved alternative route via Khulibang, Mohariya and Tamu to allow motorcycles and scooters to reach Birethanti.
Municipality chairman Bishnu Bahadur KC said local authorities, engineers and security officials had reached the affected site to assess the damage and restore access for tourists, including those travelling to or returning from the Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) trek.
"We are discussing whether we can repair an alternative road for traffic," KC said. "Rainfall has eased and the river level has fallen, so we are also assessing whether one-way traffic can be resumed at the damaged section in coordination with the local administration."
Ghandruk, in Annapurna Rural Municipality-11, is one of Nepal's best-known mountain villages and serves as a major gateway to the Annapurna Base Camp and Ghorepani–Poon Hill trekking routes.
