Five people are missing after a flash flood that swept away homes and bridges in Nepal's central Gorkha district on Sunday.

If you're just joining us, here's what you need to know:

• The flood occurred at the Budhi Gandaki River, a tributary of the Trishuli River
• The five missing people are believed to be herders, according to a local official
• Authorities say they have rescued 95 people, including nine foreigners, while more than 650 people have been impacted by the flood
• Some communities have reportedly been cut off by the flood. Authorities say they have mobilised helicopters for search and rescue operations and deployed more than 700 personnel to the affected areas
• Nepal is prone to floods and avalanches due to the unpredictable environment of the Himalayas, the world's tallest mountain range. Climate change is likely going to increase the risk of such disasters, experts have said
• Nepalis are still picking up the pieces after devastating floods swept through villages along the border with Tibet in August, leaving hundreds dead and thousands missing
• Residents who fled their homes ahead of the flood are afraid of returning. One official told the BBC that people "can't sleep at home with peace of mind"

We're pausing our live coverage now, but you can find more information in this news story.

Some locals told The Kathmandu Post they had alerted one another to the flood nearly an hour before official notifications came in.

Suna Gurung was awakened at 04:45 on Sunday by a call from someone in a riverside village upstream, saying a river had burst its banks and urging him to flee immediately.

"Within ten minutes, the river swelled dramatically in the dark. We raised an alarm, woke everyone up, and fled into the forest," Gurung told The Kathmandu Post.

"By the time I received the government SMS on my phone warning us to stay safe, we had already been sheltering in the forest for over an hour."

Nepali authorities acknowledged the delay in alerting the public. Alerts were sent to residents in higher regions nearly two hours after the floods began, while messages to lower regions were dispatched nearly five hours later, they say.

This, as with previous disasters, highlights the deficiencies Nepal's early-warning system faces, often forcing residents in rural communities to rely on informal networks and social media.

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Along the borders of Nepal are the Himalayas, the world's tallest mountain range and one of the main drivers of the country's tourism industry.

But high mountain environments can be unpredictable, and floods often happen when landslides and avalanches cause sudden surges in rivers downstream.

Nepal is also prone to earthquakes, which can destabilise snow and ice on the mountains. In 2015, nearly 9,000 people were killed after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal, triggering deadly avalanches on Mount Everest.

More recently, the floods along the Nepal-Tibet border, which killed hundreds of people and left thousands missing, were caused by a rock-ice avalanche near the peak of Langtang Lirung, a mountain on Nepal's side of the Himalayas.

Experts say climate change, which is making glaciers melt faster, is likely increasing the risks of such disasters. And as the mountain environments become even more volatile, communities living there are left increasingly vulnerable.

Local authorities have highlighted the flood's toll on residents, and the growing operational hurdles facing the region.

Ram Kumar Gurung, ward chair of Chumnubri-3, said the flooding had terrified residents and forced them to abandon their homes.

Narayan Prasad Sapkota, administrative chief of Chumnubri Rural Municipality, further noted that the flood had left settlements dependent on air transport, and made the movement of people and supplies difficult, according to The Kathmandu Post.

"The entire rural municipality is now cut off, with air travel the only remaining way to reach it," he said.

Officials planned to explore alternative routes on Monday after prioritising rescue operations on Sunday.

After hearing that a flood was approaching, residents fled their homes to find shelter in a nearby forest.

“We received a call early in the morning warning us about the flood. The river rose until it reached the settlement, and we left our homes,” said Ganesh Karki of Jagatbagar, according to The Kathmandu Post.

Karki and other residents took shelter about 500 metres uphill.

“We never imagined a flood of this size. The water surged for about 15 minutes and then stopped, repeatedly throughout the morning. We are afraid to return home at night.”

Phanindra Dahal
BBC Nepali, Kathmandu

Image source, Nepali Army

Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority says 204 homes were damaged and over 650 people were impacted in Sunday's floods.

Officials said they were able to rescue 95 people including nine foreigners. After the flash flood, security forces deployed more than 700 personnel for rescue efforts in the affected areas, mostly in the worst impacted Gorkha district.

The Nepal army has said it has mobilised four helicopters for search and rescue operations.

The army also conducted an aerial reconnaissance and informed the national disaster response authority that the flash flood could have been caused by a blockage of the river upstream triggered by a landslide.

Phanindra Dahal
BBC Nepali, Kathmandu

Yesterday’s flash flood has renewed concerns over a recurrence of the catastrophic floods on the border of Nepal and Tibet which killed nearly 1,500 people in August.

“[Residents] can't sleep at home with peace of mind,” Tek Bahadur Adhikari, a public official for Arughat, a rural municipality in Gorkha, tells the BBC.

There was no obvious trigger for Sunday’s flood, he adds.

“Earlier, we thought that if there was heavy rain, there would be flooding. But it turns out that the rain doesn't have to be heavy for flooding to occur. Even if there wasn't any rain, there was such a flood.”

Navin Singh Khadka
Environment correspondent, BBC World Service

What caused the latest flood is still unclear.

Some say a landslide may have blocked the Budhi Gandaki river or its tributary for some time, causing the dammed water to burst out.

Others say a glacier collapse could also have caused the mudslide, but experts said this had been hard to confirm because the thick cloud cover made it hard to capture good satellite imagery.

This clip shows the flash flood tearing through central Nepal, wiping out entire villages. The Budhi Gandaki, where the flood occurred, is a tributary of the Trishuli river, downstream from another tributary where a glacier collapse caused the previous disaster.

Image source, EPA

Officials have not yet confirmed any casualties, but initial reports show that the disaster caused the most damage in Chumanubri rural municipality.

At least two villages have been wiped out and several bridges were washed away, says Nima Lama, the chairperson of the municipality.

The five people missing are believed to be herders, Nima says, adding that about 100 cows have also gone missing.

Hundreds of people have been displaced across the Gorkha district, according to the assistant chief district officer Netra Prasad Sharma.

Image source, Getty Images

Nepali authorities are still searching for five people missing hours after a flash flood tore through a central region, washing away homes and bridges.

The flood hit the Gorkha district as children and communities prepared to mark the first day of Dashain, Nepal’s biggest and longest festival.

Around 50 people have been rescued, authorities say.

Nepal is still trying to recover from catastrophic floods and landslides that swept through its border towns with Tibet two months ago, wiping out thousands of houses, destroying critical energy infrastructure and leaving thousands dead and missing.

We’ll bring you the latest updates as we get them.