Kathmandu, Oct. 11 -- A flash flood in the Budhi Gandaki river swept away bridges and damaged settlements and hydropower infrastructure in Gorkha district early Sunday, but timely SMS alerts helped residents move to higher ground, with no casualties reported so far, according to Dharmaraj Uprety, chief executive of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.

Uprety told Kantipur that authorities received official information about the flood at around 6.20am and sent SMS alerts to downstream areas 20 minutes later, giving residents time to reach safer ground. Rescue teams have been mobilised, while officials are assessing the damage and investigating the cause of the flood.

The following is an edited excerpt of the int...