Thursday, August 27, 2026 - At least 177 people have been killed and hundreds more are missing after a flash flood and mudslide along the Nepal-Tibet border washed away villages and damaged roads and infrastructure.
The flood hit early on Wednesday in Rasuwa, just north of
Nepal's capital Kathmandu, with the US Geological Survey confirming that it was
caused by a glacial collapse and debris flow.
Search operations are under way on both sides of the border
and the death toll is expected to rise significantly in the coming days.
State media in China, which controls Tibet, say there are significant casualties and Nepalese officials said they anticipate "huge scale loss".
Mud and sand could be seen piled
up against a hydropwer plant
Nepal police said on Thursday that 177 bodies had been
recovered from flood-affected areas. However, the exact number of people killed
or missing is feared to be much higher.
Nepal said that 826 people were missing, with 644 tourists out of contact, a spokesperson for the Nepal Tourism Board, Sunil Sharma, told the BBC.
Among those missing include 178 Indian tourists, 127 Nepali tourists, 65 Americans, 53 Ukrainians, 51 Malaysians, 35 Australians, and 33 UK nationals, Sharma said.
Deputy Superintendent of Nepal Tourist Police Bisworaj Adhikari told the BBC that they are still collecting information from tour operators about the tourists who had travelled to the area.
The number of people missing in Tibet's Gyirong county has
risen to 558, China's state broadcaster CCTV said on Thursday.
Among these are 260 foreign nationals, the state broadcaster
said, adding the death toll remained at three.
It is not clear if any of the missing in the Nepali and
Chinese figures have been counted twice.
Alpine Eco Trek, which offers guided tours and expeditions in Nepal, confirmed that 12 British nationals, two Irish nationals and four South Africans on its tour across the Nepal-Tibet border were missing.
Another company, Kailash Journeys, told the BBC that 27
guests, including seven British citizens, were among the missing.
The ages of the missing British citizens range from 13 to
65, according to travel logs shared with PA news agency
The US Geological Survey had first reported the event as a
magnitude 4.4 earthquake on Wednesday, but said on Thursday that analysis had
confirmed that "no earthquake had occurred".
It said the disaster "was instead a glacial collapse
and debris flow" that "caused subsequent catastrophic impacts
downstream".
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development
(ICIMOD) warned of a secondary potential flooding event, as a result of the
debris that washed into the river systems.
Several areas downstream of the Bhote Koshi river, which
flows from Tibet to Nepal, are on high alert and roads, communications and
power in the region have been disrupted. The authorities say the main road to
Kathmandu is closed.
Verified videos from Nepal show a bridge being swept away
and multi-storey buildings collapsed by the force of floodwaters, as well as a
town with many buildings destroyed.
BBC Verify has located the clips to the town of Trishuli Bazaar area of Nuwakot District in Bagmati Province, about 25km (16 miles) to the north-west of Kathmandu.
The video shows the river Trishuli suddenly becoming swollen
by enormous amounts of water, which appears to have significantly increased in
volume and speed and filled with sediment.
About 40 seconds into the clip, the weight of the flash
flood rips the bridge off of its supports and carries it swiftly downriver. A
few seconds later, several buildings also collapse.
The second verified video, filmed from the same location,
shows the devastating aftermath. The river's level has risen significantly,
trees and many buildings visible in the earlier video have been ripped away.
A new video filmed from inside a bus in Trishuli shows
dozens of people trying to flee as a flash flood surges down the valley.
The verified video shows floodwaters rapidly swelling and
spilling down the river, as many attempt to flee on foot, moped and other
vehicles.
Passengers can be heard crying out in alarm on board, as the
bus drives along the road which follows the river.
It is not clear exactly how many have been destroyed, but
many buildings near the riverbank have disappeared, partially collapsed or are
caked in sediment from the flood's force.
Yee Liang, a Chinese businessman based in Kathmandu, told
the BBC his logistics company had seven container trucks based in the area,
staffed by Nepalese employees.
"We have lost contact with all of them. There is no
signal, so we cannot reach anyone," he said.
"As far as I know, there was no warning. There were
occasional mudslides and landslides, especially in the rainy season, but this
one seems much more serious."
Nepal Army Spokesman Rajarm Basnet told the BBC efforts were
under way to rescue 115 people from the village of Mailung.
The Nepalese Ministry of Home Affairs warned there was likely to be huge loss of life in Timure, Syabrubesi and Betrawati. Flooding had also caused damage to the Trishuli hydropwer project.
The extent of the damage on the Tibetan side is unclear but
the BBC spoke to Guan Daoxuan in Sichuan province who said he had lost contact
with his wife late on Wednesday morning.
She works for a state-run construction company involved in
building roads and bridges in Tibet. Guan said Nepalese authorities had tried
to send a helicopter to inspect the area because road access had been cut off,
but strong winds were making it difficult for the aircraft to reach the site.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X that he had
spoken to his Nepalese counterpart, Belendra Shah, adding "the people of
India stand in solidarity with their sisters and brothers in Nepal at this
difficult time".
Nepal's disaster management authority called on people
living near river banks in vulnerable areas to remain alert and take
precautions.
"Work has started to take necessary steps in
co-ordination with the medical team, scouts, and Red Cross," Prime
Minister Shah said in a social media post, after holding an emergency meeting
to take stock of the situation.
UN Secretary General António Guterres says he is
"saddened by the severe flooding", adding that UN teams and partners
are mobilising supplies and personnel in Nepal to support the government-led
response.
Video shows horrifying moment devastating flash flood hits Nepal-Tibet border (WATCH) pic.twitter.com/PN38B9D4G3
— DAILY POST 🇳🇬 (@dailypost_ng) August 27, 2026
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