Over 100: Indians among hundreds missing in Nepal flash flood fury

Over 150 people were killed while at least 484, including 105 Indians and 37 Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), were reported missing after massive flash floods in Nepal’s districts bordering Tibet on Wednesday. According to official figures, 391 foreign nationals and 93 from Nepal had been reported missing until 7 pm (local time).

These included at least 60 working in hydel projects in the area.

Sources shared most of the Indians reported missing were headed to Kailash Mansarovar. Among the dead were 44 from Nepal’s Army, 28 from the law enforcement personnel officers officers and 13 from the Armed Law enforcement personnel officers officers Force. The authorities fear higher casualties and widespread destruction.

For related coverage, explore our detailed analysis on Technology and Digital Systems.

Initial Reports Affected Areas Updates

Initial reports from the affected areas and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority shared the border river flood, which began a little after 9 am local time, swept away many settlements across the 60-km road from Gyirong in Tibet, down to Rasuwa and Dhading districts in Nepal, both bordering Tibet, and Nuwakot district.

With these areas being part of Nepal’s old trade route with Tibet, they are thickly populated. Rasuwa is known for its trekking routes, with 108 lakes in the region including the sacred Gosaikunda Lake. Some of the missing were trekking to the Gosaikunda Lake, coinciding with the local festival of Janai Purnima on Friday.

Dozens of multi-storied buildings, trucks and vans were buried under the mud in Nuwakot, one of the worst-affected areas. Critical infrastructure, including at least a dozen hydropower projects, was also destroyed, affecting about 700 MW of power generation. Gorkha, Nawalparasi and Chitwan were among the other districts affected.

Climate Experts Kathmandu-Based International Updates

Climate experts at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) shared an avalanche from a glacier likely caused the flash floods. Initial reports ⁠suggested that an earthquake in the area could have triggered an avalanche and caused the floods, Nepal's Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal also informed Parliament on Wednesday, according to local media reports.

“Preliminary assessment based on video footage and information from affected areas suggest that a large volume of ice and rock debris may have entered the Lhende Khola, a tributary of the Bhote Koshi River. Researchers say the event could have generated a sudden surge that carried water, sediment and large boulders downstream,” ICIMOD stated in a press release.

World · Himalayas · Factbox Deadly disasters in the Himalayas over a dozen years A massive flash flood has struck the Nepal-Tibet border. Reuters lists some of the region's biggest disasters of the past dozen years — a toll some analysts blame on climate change and rapid development.

Updated · Aug 26, 2026 Flash flood on the Nepal-Tibet border kills at least 157 The toll climbed sharply to at least 157, law enforcement personnel officers officers say — up from an initial count of nine — as villages were washed away and roads, bridges and power projects were damaged.

The number may still rise. The past dozen years August 2025 · Uttarakhand, India 4 deaddozens missing Sudden flooding and landslides in the Indian state. September 2024 · Nepal 66+ deadflooding & landslides Persistent downpours triggered widespread flooding and landslides.

November 2023 · Uttarakhand, India All 41 rescuedroad-tunnel cave-in 41 low-wage workers were trapped in a collapsing road tunnel and freed after 17 days. No cause was given. October 2023 · Sikkim, India 179 deadglacial lake outburst Torrential rain burst a glacial lake, causing devastating floods in the northeastern state.

January 2023 · Joshimath, India ~200 evacuatedtown subsidence Cracks spread through hundreds of buildings, later demolished as unsafe. Authorities blamed rapid building work. October 2021 · Uttarakhand, India 46+ deadunseasonal rain Heavy rain flooded roads and washed away bridges.

Read More: A Kerala story: Hindu rites at Christian priest home as family bids adieu to help of 26 years

February 2021 · Uttarakhand, India 200+ deadDhauliganga flash flood A flash flood swept away two hydroelectric projects, sending water, rock and debris down the valley. September 2014 · Kashmir ~464 deadworst floods in 50 years The Jhelum river surged in unusually heavy rain, killing about 200 Indians and 264 Pakistanis.

Reuters notes that some analysts link the rising frequency of these disasters to climate change and widespread development across the fragile mountain region.

The Aug 26, 2026 toll is provisional and may rise. Figures are as A developing story. Express InfoGenIE · Global Desk .

From its ⁠origin in Tibet, the Bhote Koshi river empties into Nepal's Trishuli river that eventually flows into India as the Gandak river. The swollen Trishuli river engulfed the surrounding areas, leaving a wide swathe of destruction on either side of its course.

At least half-a-dozen bridges over the river were swept away, including in the Malekhu area, affecting connectivity to the two tourist sites of Chitwan and Pokhara.

Security footage captured on the Chinese side of the Nepal-Tibet border demonstrated many people fleeing before a torrent of rock, mud and water destroyed buildings, vehicles and took many lives. China's official Xinhua news agency shared the mudslide happened on the Nepal side and hit the Gyirong port, cutting roads, communication and power links in the Shigatse region near the border, but did not elaborate.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV shared the mudslide in Gyirong County near the border killed at least three and left 265 missing. A rescuer informed CCTV that it would take at least four hours for the team to reach the site due to the 1.5-metre deep sediment that blocked pathways leading to the affected area.

The debris had surged upstream from the Nepalese side of the crossing, the rescuer shared.

The exact cause of the mudslide could not be immediately determined, but the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) shared there was a 4.4 magnitude quake approximately seven minutes before the time shown on the security footage time-stamp. An initial study of Planet Labs satellite imagery indicated that a landslide of snow and rock triggered a debris-laden flood in the Lhende Khola, about 20 km northeast of the Nepal-China Rasuwagadhi border crossing, Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority shared on X.

An ice-rock avalanche in the Lhende Khola on the Nepal side was the trigger, but the cause remains unconfirmed, stated Qianggong Zhang, head of climate and environmental risks, at ICIMOD. "With a blockage still lodged upstream on the Nepal-China border river, authorities warn a second flood may occur," Qianggong said.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah called an emergency meeting of the Cabinet.

"Instructions have been given. to move the people living in the lower areas to safer places," he said. Former King Gyanendra Shah also delivered an appeal, calling for a coordinated safety campaign and tripartite cooperation between Nepal, India and China for long-term initiatives to contain floods.

Last August too, the same regions in Nepal had seen similar flash floods when a glacial lake in Tibet overflowed because of high temperatures. Nine people were killed, and critical infrastructure, including a bridge connecting Nepal and China, was damaged at the time. “The Lhende Khola has flooded twice in fourteen months, this time triggered With Agencies