Kathmandu, October 11: Prime Minister Balendra Shah has urged people living downstream of the Budhigandaki River to move to safer locations, avoid travelling on risky roads and bridges, and follow instructions from local authorities and security agencies following a flash flood in Gorkha on Sunday.

In a social media post, Prime Minister Shah said the flood was triggered by a landslide between Lokpa and Chumling in Chumnubri Rural Municipality. Five people have gone missing, and search and rescue operations have been intensified.

The flood swept away suspension and motorable bridges, telephone towers and electricity poles. It also damaged houses, construction equipment and the camp area of the under-construction Budhigandaki Hydropower Project.

According to Shah, around 200,000 SMS alerts were sent to residents of Gorkha, Dhading and Benighat in Chitwan through the Centre of Hydrology and Water Resources Research and the Flood Forecasting Division.

A total of 48 people, including 12 employees of the hydropower project in Salleri, Gorkha, were moved to safer locations.

For search and rescue operations, 127 Nepali Army personnel, 133 Nepal Police personnel and 177 Armed Police Force personnel have been mobilized. Four Nepal Army helicopters are also being used in rescue efforts.

A three-member team, including a zoologist, has been deployed with a drone to investigate the cause of the flood.

Meanwhile, the Disaster Response Command Post of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority is coordinating with concerned agencies to monitor the situation and oversee rescue and relief operations. Relief supplies are being transported to affected areas by road and air.

A team led by the Director Generals of the Department of Roads and the Department of Local Infrastructure Development has been mobilized to assess the feasibility of reopening roads and installing Bailey bridges.

Rapid Response Teams and health workers in Gorkha, Lamjung and Tanahun have also been kept on standby, according to the Prime Minister.