Nepal's Annapurna Region Reels as Fresh Landslides Kill 30, Strand Hundreds of Trekkers

A renewed surge of landslides and torrential rain has claimed around 30 lives across Nepal, compounding a humanitarian crisis that has already left the Himalayan nation staggering from catastrophic flooding earlier this year. According to the country's national disaster management authority, more than 1,900 families have been impacted since late last week, with over 240 homes destroyed or damaged. Roads, bridges, and buildings have been washed away or buried, severing vital connections in a mountainous terrain where infrastructure is already fragile.

The disaster is unfolding against the grim backdrop of August's massive floods, which killed 1,400 people and left thousands of others unaccounted for. That catastrophe had already stretched emergency services and displaced entire communities. Now, with the ground still saturated and rivers running dangerously high, even moderate rainfall is triggering new landslides, creating what officials describe as a cascading emergency with no clear end in sight.

Among those most dramatically affected are hundreds of trekkers caught on the Annapurna Circuit, one of the world's most celebrated long-distance hiking routes and a critical pillar of Nepal's tourism-dependent economy. Many have been airlifted by helicopter from the Manang and Mustang districts after trails became impassable. The circuit, which normally takes up to three weeks to complete, has been effectively shut down in its upper sections, leaving hikers with no choice but to abandon their journeys.

The human toll on local communities has been devastating. In Battar, a town northwest of Kathmandu, survivors are sheltering in makeshift relief camps. Buti Tamang, speaking from a damp blue tent, described the magnitude of his loss: "We used to live in a hut, but now there is nothing. We have lost so many of our relatives." His words echo the grief of countless families who have seen their homes and livelihoods erased by walls of mud and rock.

Ramesh Ghale, another displaced resident, told BBC Nepali that conditions in the camps are deteriorating. "Now it is raining and the tent leaks, so we've been facing a difficult situation. We have nowhere to go," he said. The tents, some bearing Chinese characters and relief-aid logos, offer minimal protection against the relentless rain, and with more precipitation forecast, the situation for those already homeless appears likely to worsen.

For trekkers, the escape from the mountains has been harrowing. Jake Stacy, a 21-year-old from Suffolk, England, found himself stranded in Yak Kharka, upper Manang, after heavy snowfall last week. He and his guide decided against attempting the Thorang La pass, the circuit's highest point at over 5,400 meters. Instead, they improvised their own routes down the mountainside.

"We made our own paths on mountain slopes," Stacy recounted after finally reaching the base camp in Pokhara on Tuesday night. "It was quite steep and we were clambering because there was river below… It was very muddy and very wet." He noted that many other trekkers were evacuated by helicopter, underscoring how quickly the situation had deteriorated.

Australian hiker Andrew Graham and his guide, Prem KC, faced a similarly perilous descent after turning back from Manang village. Graham said they had to cross more than 15 landslides. "A few of them were quite dangerous, the residual risks have grown now," he observed. When they reached the village of Chame, they found it had been evacuated due to landslide risk, forcing them to spend a night in the jungle.

A massive landslide has partially blocked the river flowing through Chame, creating a temporary lake that has inundated houses and a key bridge. Local residents told the BBC that authorities have been attempting to release the impounded water using excavators for the past three days, but with limited success. The resulting dam remains a ticking time bomb for downstream communities, threatening further flooding if it gives way suddenly.

Trekking guide Tse Ring Doma described the psychological strain of navigating the devastated landscape. She and her group crossed 28 separate landslides, but she said the mental stress outweighed the physical challenge, particularly given the fresh trauma of last month's disaster. "Even thunder would make us run and come out to see if anything was coming our way," she said, illustrating how deeply the recent catastrophes have affected those who live and work in the mountains.

Her client, Norwegian trekker Ellen Wahlström, reflected on the disparity between visitors and locals. She noted that tourists were fortunate because they would only lose some belongings, whereas residents risked losing their homes and land entirely. She also praised authorities for clearing many of the landslides "surprisingly fast," though the scale of the destruction has overwhelmed even the most rapid response efforts.

Despite the severity of the damage in Manang, where several bridges have been swept away and communications are down in some areas, chief district officer Mukti Prasad Khanal confirmed that no one had been killed in the trekking region itself. However, the broader toll remains grim: four bodies have been recovered and 12 people remain missing after an avalanche near the base of Himlung Peak, close to the border with Tibet.

The Annapurna Conservation Area Project, which oversees the trekking route, said roughly 700 trekkers are still waiting in Pokhara to begin the circuit. A representative said the authority has been holding them back despite pressure from the trekking industry to declare the route open. "We have been holding back all these people who want to go to the Annapurna Circuit trek, although we are under pressure from the trekking industry to announce the route open," he said.

In addition, Indian pilgrims who frequently visit the ancient Muktinath temple have been instructed to fly from Jomsom to Pokhara rather than travel by road, which has been cut off by landslides. The road closures are not only affecting tourists but also delaying the delivery of relief supplies to remote villages, where residents are increasingly isolated and in desperate need of food, shelter, and medical aid.