In six seconds, an entire mountainside was gone. Video circulating across Nepal shows a massive section of slope near Lete, in Mustang district, shearing away and crashing into the Kali Gandaki River below — rocks, earth, and trees swallowed in one violent gulp, the watercourse temporarily blocked. It's the single most frightening image of a monsoon disaster that has now killed at least 27 people across the Himalayan nation.
Officials said Tuesday that incessant rainfall since September 24 has triggered 513 monsoon-related incidents nationwide. Four people remain missing, up to eight are injured, and more than 1,060 families have been affected. And with the ground still saturated, authorities warn the danger isn't over.
- At least 27 people killed, 4 missing, and 1,065+ families affected by floods and landslides across Nepal since September 24.
- Authorities recorded 304 landslides, 87 flood incidents, and 151 heavy-rainfall incidents in five days.
- A mountainside collapsed into the Kali Gandaki River in Mustang in roughly six seconds, caught on viral video.
- 225 houses destroyed, 31 bridges damaged, 147 highway locations hit — and over 1,000 MW of power transmission knocked out.
- The cause: a low-pressure system in the Bay of Bengal; Nepal now plans to import 1,100+ MW from India for winter.
Five days of relentless rain
The numbers from Nepal's Home Ministry and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority paint a grim picture. Between September 24 and 28, the country logged 304 landslide incidents — killing 20 people, leaving four missing, and injuring seven. Another 87 flood-related incidents claimed four lives, while 151 incidents tied to heavy rainfall killed three more and injured one.
The destruction is staggering: 225 houses completely destroyed and 137 partially damaged, 114 livestock killed, 31 bridges damaged, and 147 locations along highways and major roads hit — though 125 of those have already been repaired and reopened, officials said. The trigger was a low-pressure system that developed in the Bay of Bengal, dumping extraordinary rainfall across the country. Authorities recorded more than 100mm of rain at over a hundred monitoring stations between September 24 and 27; in East Nawalparasi, one station logged over 544mm.
The six-second collapse
The Mustang footage is what has gripped the country. Near the mountain village of Lete, an enormous slab of mountainside broke away and thundered into the Kali Gandaki River in approximately six seconds, briefly damming the watercourse. Other videos show homes engulfed by floodwaters and slopes giving way in real time.
It wasn't the only river scare. On Sunday, a massive landslide struck Manang district, sending debris into the Marsyangdi River and briefly blocking parts of it. Downstream communities were urged to stay alert; the river returned to normal within hours without major damage — this time.
In Baglung district, the toll was heavier: at least 10 people died after landslides buried houses across the Tamankhola, Nisikhola, and Tarakhola rural municipalities, with homes and infrastructure damaged in several locations.
Power, roads, and a long winter ahead
The disaster has hammered Nepal's infrastructure. Floods and landslides disrupted 1,013.2 megawatts of electricity transmission along the Kaligandaki, Marsyangdi, and Seti-Madi river corridors. Traffic along the Kaligandaki Corridor in western Nepal remains disrupted by landslides, road subsidence, and damaged bridge approaches across Beni-Jomsom, Palpa, Baglung, and Nawalparasi — authorities estimate full restoration could take more than three days.
The timing could hardly be worse. Nepal is still reeling from August's catastrophic flooding, and the Nepal Electricity Authority now plans to import more than 1,100 MW of electricity from India during the coming winter, expecting domestic generation to drop by around 70% as run-of-the-river hydropower output falls.
A country on edge
The government says rescue, relief, and rehabilitation operations have been intensified, with agencies mobilized to repair infrastructure and restore normal life. But with saturated hillsides, blocked roads, and fresh warnings of further flash floods and landslides, Nepal's monsoon nightmare may not be over yet.
For a country where the mountains are both livelihood and identity, the six-second video from Mustang is more than a viral clip — it's a reminder of how quickly the Himalayas can turn.
Note: images in this article are licensed file photos of Nepal's Himalayan region, not photographs of the specific incidents described. Sources: Nepal Home Ministry / NDRRMA via PTI; The Hindu; IANS; ABP News; millenniumpost. Figures as reported September 29, 2026.