A flood caused by the Shintaphu glacial lake bursting its banks has washed away infrastructure at the Gasa Tshachu natural hot springs in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, media reports said on Friday (October 30, 2026).
No injuries or loss of life have been reported, state broadcaster BBS said.
Kuensel , Bhutan’s national newspaper, said part of the road to Laya village, where the springs are located, had been washed away, making it impassable. The road has been closed for traffic indefinitely, the newspaper said.
The floodwaters are expected to surge downstream within the next 1 to 1.5 hours. VIDEO | West Bengal: State authorities have issued high-alert and evacuation warnings for residents living along the Sankosh River following a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) in neighboring Bhutan. Special alerts are directed at the forest villages and hamlets bordering the Sankosh River, including the upper Sankosh forest village, the NKC Sankosh Tea Garden, Kumargram CD block, Chengmari, Valka Barabisa, Jharaguri and Pakriguri. If you reside along the banks of the Sankosh River in these vast stretches, please inform everyone around you as quickly as possible. A dam in Bhutan has breached. Please pass the word along without delay and evacuate people from these adjacent low-lying areas to safer ground, as the situation could turn critical. We must act quickly to prevent a disastrous situation like the one seen in Nepal.”
State Forest and Environment Minister Manoj Kumar Oraon said, “Anyone who can is urged to immediately warn others in the affected areas. We must act quickly to prevent a disastrous situation like the one seen in Nepal.” (Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/bIyFWTfmBd) State Forest and Environment Minister Manoj Kumar Oraon said, “Anyone who can is urged to immediately warn others in the affected areas.
