Nepal Reels as Fresh Landslides Kill 30, Strand Hundreds of Trekkers on Annapurna Circuit

Nepal is confronting yet another wave of deadly landslides and torrential rain, just weeks after catastrophic flooding devastated large parts of the Himalayan nation. The latest disaster has claimed approximately 30 lives since late last week, according to the national disaster management authority, compounding a crisis that has already left deep scars across the country.

More than 1,900 families have been affected by the renewed onslaught, with over 240 homes damaged or destroyed. Roads, buildings, and bridges have been swept away by rushing waters and shifting earth, severing critical connections between communities and cutting off entire districts from essential supplies and emergency services.

The timing could hardly be worse. Nepal is still reeling from August's catastrophic flooding, which killed 1,400 people and left thousands more missing. That disaster was one of the worst in the country's recent history, and the current wave of extreme weather has revived traumatic memories for survivors who had barely begun to rebuild their lives.

Among those most visibly affected are hundreds of trekkers on the Annapurna Circuit, one of the world's most celebrated long-distance hiking routes and a vital pillar of Nepal's tourism-dependent economy. Many have been forced to abandon their journeys and have been helicoptered out of the Manang and Mustang districts, where the circuit typically takes up to three weeks to complete.

The human toll extends well beyond the trekking community. In Battar, a town north-west of Kathmandu, displaced families are sheltering in emergency tents on muddy hillsides. Buti Tamang, speaking from a damp blue tent, described the scale of loss: "We used to live in a hut, but now there is nothing. We have lost so many of our relatives." His neighbour, Ramesh Ghale, added that the leaking tents and relentless rain have left them with nowhere to turn.

For those attempting to descend from the mountains, the journey has been harrowing. Trekkers and their guides report treacherous treks lasting three to four days, requiring them to navigate collapsed roads and cross rivers where bridges once stood. Jake Stacy, a 21-year-old from Suffolk in England, found himself stranded with his guide in Yak Kharka in upper Manang after heavy snowfall last week. He decided against continuing to the Thorang La pass, the circuit's highest point.

"We made our own paths on mountain slopes," Stacy recounted after finally reaching 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 confirmed that many trekkers were evacuated by helicopter.

Australian trekker Andrew Graham and his guide, Prem KC, faced similarly perilous conditions after turning back from Manang village. Graham said they had to cross more than 15 landslides, several of which he described as quite dangerous. The pair became stuck when they reached Chame, a village that had been evacuated because of landslide risk, and were forced to spend a night in the jungle.

A massive landslide has partially blocked the river flowing through Chame, creating a temporary lake that has submerged houses and a key bridge. Local residents told the BBC that authorities have spent three days attempting to release the trapped water using excavators, but their efforts have met with limited success, leaving the community in a state of anxious limbo.

Trekking guide Tse Ring Doma described leading her group across 28 separate landslides. She said the mental strain proved harder to bear than the physical exhaustion, particularly given the fresh memory of last month's enormous disaster. "Even thunder would make us run and come out to see if anything was coming our way," she said, illustrating how deeply the trauma of August's floods has affected those living and working in the region.

Her client, Norwegian trekker Ellen Wahlström, reflected on the disparity between visitors and locals. She noted that tourists were fortunate because they only had to leave some of their belongings behind, while residents risked losing their homes and land entirely. She did praise authorities for clearing many of the landslides "surprisingly fast," acknowledging the difficult conditions under which recovery crews have been operating.

In the trekking heartland of Manang, chief district officer Mukti Prasad Khanal said road damage had been severe, with several bridges washed away and communications down in some areas. However, he confirmed that no one had been killed in the trekking region itself. That relative piece of good news was offset by the grim toll elsewhere: 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 region, said around 700 trekkers are currently waiting in Pokhara to begin the circuit. A representative said authorities have 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, highlighting the tension between safety concerns and economic imperatives.

Indian visitors who frequently travel to the ancient temple of Muktinath on Hindu pilgrimage have also been affected. Authorities have asked them to fly from Jomsom to Pokhara rather than attempt the drive, as the road has been cut off by landslides.

The unfolding crisis underscores Nepal's acute vulnerability to climate-driven extreme weather. The Himalayan nation's steep terrain, fragile geology, and monsoon-dependent weather patterns make it particularly susceptible to landslides and flash flooding, a risk that scientists warn is intensifying as global temperatures rise. For a country still burying its dead from August, the latest wave of destruction is a painful reminder that recovery remains distant, and the danger is far from over.