Over 200 containers stranded as heavy rain, snowfall block Jomsom-Korala road in Mustang

MUSTANG: Incessant rain and snowfall have completely blocked the Jomsom-Korala road section in Mustang, stranding over 200 cargo containers and bringing Nepal-China border trade to a standstill.

The closure of the national pride project route, which stretches from Kavrebhir on the Myagdi-Mustang border to the Korala pass, has halted all transport along the alternative trade corridor. According to Prakash Dhital, Armed Police Force, Nepal (APF Nepal) Inspector and In-charge of the Nhechung Border Out Post, heavy snowfall exceeding one foot has covered the border area since Friday night, collapsing over half a dozen tents used by local traders in the no-man's-land zone.

Over 200 containers remain stranded at the Mustang customs yard at Korala. Empty containers heading across the border to collect goods, as well as vehicles that have already received customs clearance, are currently halted in their tracks.

Police Inspector Santosh Basyal at the Mustang District Police Office said the Kavrebhir section was obstructed by landslides and massive falling boulders. Heavy rain triggered landslides across the Ghasa area in Thasang Rural Municipality-4, blocking the route in Lower Ghasa and near the local check post.

A view of the Lo Manthang area of Upper Mustang, covered in snow on Sunday, September 27, 2026. Local life has been affected by the snowfall since Saturday night. Photo: RSS

A view of the Lo Manthang area of Upper Mustang, covered in snow on Sunday, September 27, 2026. Local life has been affected by the snowfall since Saturday night. Photo: RSS

Inspector Basyal added that a flood of mud and debris in the Ghyakar River near the Mustang gate entirely destroyed the road track. Landslides have damaged road structures in at least half a dozen places between Kagbeni and Chaile in Varagung-3, while falling debris has blocked the Jomsom-Panda river road and the route from Kagbeni to Chaile.

Further south, heavy rainfall caused dozens of blockages along the Myagdi section of the North-South Beni-Jomsom road, according to project supervisor Indra Singh Sherchan. In Gharpajhong Rural Municipality-2, flooding in the Farm river near the Temperate Horticulture Development Centre's apple farm in Marpha also blocked the road. Municipality Chairperson Mohan Singh Lalchan stated that although no physical damage occurred to infrastructure, a dozer has been deployed to clear the route.

The severe weather has simultaneously disrupted local electricity supplies across Mustang. San Prasad Thakali, head of the Jomsom electricity distributor Nilgiri Consumer Cooperative, reported that the 240-kilowatt hydropower station at Chokhopani was forced to shut down after floodwaters entered the facility. Power was completely cut after the 33 kVA transmission line connecting Dana in Myagdi to Kowang was severed on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, the District Police Office stated that poor communication networks are hindering efforts to collect full details of the damage across the region.

(With inputs from RSS)