A municipal building in the town of Baglung, Nepal, collapsed into a river on Tuesday after floodwaters destabilised the structure.

Video footage captured the moment the two‑storey office teetered on a narrow ledge before giving way, sending concrete and steel tumbling into the fast‑flowing water.

"The whole building seemed to sway before it finally fell," a local resident said, his voice shaking as he described the scene.

Emergency crews arrived within minutes, but no casualties have been confirmed as of the afternoon. Local authorities have urged residents to stay clear of the riverbank, where debris and hazardous materials pose additional risks.

Building Collapse Captured on Video

Survivors and onlookers filmed the collapse on their phones, showing the roof caving in as the river surged past. The footage, later shared by the BBC, shows the structure precariously balanced on a sloping bank before the final snap that sent it down.

Officials from the Baglung Municipality confirmed that the building housed several administrative offices, including the local disaster management centre, which had been coordinating relief efforts for the wider flood emergency.

municipal building on riverbank collapsing into water

Wider Flood Crisis in Nepal

The incident comes amid a week of relentless monsoon rains that have battered Nepal’s western hills. The Department of Hydrology reports that river levels in the district have risen 1.8 metres above normal, inundating roads, homes and farmlands.

Since the start of the monsoon season in early June, Nepal has experienced a series of flash floods that have claimed at least 150 lives nationwide, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction Authority. Baglung, a district of roughly 250,000 people, has been among the hardest hit, with over 3,000 families displaced.

Climate analysts attribute the intensity of this year’s rains to a combination of warming temperatures and altered atmospheric circulation patterns, trends that have been documented across the Himalayan region over the past decade.

International aid agencies, including the Red Cross and UNICEF, have dispatched emergency supplies and set up temporary shelters in nearby villages. The Nepalese government has pledged additional funds for rapid reconstruction of damaged public infrastructure, but logistical challenges persist as landslides block key mountain passes.

Experts warn that without substantial investment in flood‑resilient design, more public buildings could face similar fates in future extreme weather events. "We need to rethink how we locate and construct essential facilities in flood‑prone zones," said Dr. Maya Shrestha, a disaster risk specialist at Tribhuvan University.

As floodwaters continue to surge, the focus now shifts to evacuating residents from low‑lying areas and restoring access to critical services. The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced a coordinated response plan, with teams deployed to assess structural damage across the western belt.

Authorities expect the river to remain at high levels for several more days, keeping the risk of further collapses or landslides high. Residents are advised to monitor local radio broadcasts for updates and to heed evacuation orders promptly.