NEPAL - A major river in Nepal has flooded, sweeping away houses, bridges and damaging a part of a hydropower station, authorities have said.

Around 50 people have been rescued from along the bank of the Budhi Gandaki River in the central Gorkha district, the army confirmed. No casualties have been reported yet, however five people are missing. A video of the flood shows the moment raging waters sweep down a valley and wash away an entire building complex. Nepal is on high alert and still trying to recover from catastrophic floods that hit its border towns with Tibet two months ago, leaving more than 1,400 people dead and thousands missing. Sunday's flood tore through the Gorkha district as children and communities prepared to mark the first day of the Dashain festival, a major moment in the Nepali calendar. Families have been forced to flee their homes, with many facing uncertainty over where they will find safe shelter and access to essential supplies. The flood swept away about a dozen houses and several suspension bridges, while a hydroelectric project was damaged, carrying some of the construction equipment away, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said. Within a couple of hours, the river's water levels at one location had risen from two metres (6 foot 5inches) to nearly 8.5 metres (27 foot 9inches), officials said. (BBC)