More than one hundred foreign trekkers are stuck in central Nepal after sudden flooding over the weekend, according to Dagens Nyheter.
The hikers became stranded at several points along the well-known Manaslu trekking route because a section of the trail was washed away, the Swedish outlet reports.
Bhuwan Raj Ojha, an official with the Manaslu Conservation Area Project, told Reuters that the trekkers are spread across different locations along the route. Dagens Nyheter cites that interview in its reporting.
Why it matters
The Manaslu circuit is one of Nepal's most popular long-distance treks, drawing visitors from around the world who plan trips months in advance. When a single washed-out section cuts the route, it can leave large groups with no way forward or back, turning a scenic hike into a logistical and safety problem for local authorities.
The timing adds to the concern. According to ETC.se, this is the third major flash flood to hit Nepal in six weeks, a pattern that raises questions about how prepared the country's mountain regions are for repeated extreme weather during the trekking season.
Rescue efforts under way
Nepalese authorities pulled 321 people to safety on Monday, a group that included 12 foreign nationals, Dagens Nyheter reports.
The army said the rescue operation would continue on Tuesday even as water levels in the river began to fall, according to the outlet.
The trekkers are described as safe, with access to food and water, Al Jazeera reports, as cited by Dagens Nyheter.
That assessment matters for families and travel operators watching the situation from abroad. A shortage of supplies is often the first risk to emerge when groups are cut off in remote terrain, and officials say that risk has not materialized so far.
A region hit repeatedly
The flooding that stranded the hikers is part of a wider stretch of severe weather across Nepal. Omni reports that five people are missing after fresh flooding in the country, separate from the trekkers' situation.
Kvartal has also reported on heavy flooding in Nepal, underscoring how broadly the country has been affected in a short span.
For the trekkers on the Manaslu route, the immediate obstacle is geographic rather than medical: a missing stretch of trail. Restoring passage or arranging alternative evacuation typically depends on weather conditions, helicopter availability and how quickly ground teams can reach the affected sections. None of those details have been confirmed beyond the army's statement that operations would resume Tuesday.
What to watch
The focus now is whether the army's Tuesday operation can reach the remaining trekkers and reopen a way out of the Manaslu route, while authorities in other flooded parts of Nepal continue searching for the five people reported missing.
