Rescuers look for survivors among the mud and the rubbles
Rescuers look for survivors among the mud and the rubbles of buildings following flash floods and a landslide disaster in in Devghat, in Nepal's Nuwakot district on August 26, 2026. A massive flood and landslide disaster on the Nepal-Tibet border killed at least 103 people on August 26, 2026 and left several hundred missing, many of them foreign tourists. Aid workers said entire settlements had been "wiped out". Some 403 tourists -- 341 of them foreigners -- were unaccounted for several hours after the disaster struck, according to the tourism ministry. PRAKASH MATHEMA / AFP via Getty Images

This is a developing story. Figures are provisional and changing.

A flash flood swept through Nepal's northern Rasuwa district on Wednesday morning, killing at least 95 people and leaving hundreds unaccounted for, after an avalanche on the Chinese border released a sudden surge of water down the Bhote Koshi river.

Nepal Police recovered 95 bodies on the Nepali side as of 7:30pm local time, according to figures reported by ABC News. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported three deaths in Tibet, where a mudslide struck Gyirong County near the border, bringing the confirmed total across both countries to 98. The Prime Minister's Office in Nepal reported at least 95 dead.

The flood struck at around 8:30am local time and moved rapidly downstream, affecting the neighbouring Nuwakot and Dhading districts. Villages, roads, bridges and hydropower installations were destroyed.

What caused it

Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said an initial study based on Planet Labs satellite imagery indicated a glacier-related flood in the Lhende river, caused by a snow and rock landslide on the Nepal-China border roughly 20 kilometres northeast of the Rasuwagadhi border crossing.

Climate specialists at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development said the ice and rock avalanche on the Nepali side blocked the Lhende Khola, a Bhote Koshi tributary, before releasing a sudden surge downstream — a sequence they said underscores growing risks in the rapidly warming Himalayas.

The pattern has a recent precedent. In August last year, an overflowing glacial lake in neighbouring Tibet caused flooding that killed nine people in the same district and damaged a key cross-border bridge.

The missing

Nepal's Tourism Board issued a preliminary list of 384 tourists and travellers unaccounted for, comprising 291 foreign nationals and 93 Nepalis, compiled from information supplied by ten tour operators. The board stressed that the whereabouts and safety of those listed are still being verified.

Indian nationals form the largest group. At least 105 Indian citizens and 37 non-resident Indians appear on the preliminary list, and officials cautioned the figure could rise as agencies cross-check records. Also listed are nationals of the United States, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Australia, the Netherlands and South Africa. The nationalities of 111 foreign travellers booked through three operators had not been confirmed.

Many of those missing were travelling toward Gosaikunda and Kailash Mansarovar, pilgrimage and trekking destinations reached through the affected corridor.

Separately, CCTV reported 265 people missing on the Chinese side following the Gyirong mudslide.

NEPAL-WEATHER-LANDSLIDE-FLOOD
Rescuers carry in their arms a flood survivor, following flash floods and a landslide disaster in Devghat, in the Nepal's Nuwakot district on August 26, 2026. A massive flood and landslide disaster on the Nepal-Tibet border killed at least 103 people on August 26, 2026 and left several hundred missing, many of them foreign tourists. Aid workers said entire settlements had been "wiped out". Some 403 tourists -- 341 of them foreigners -- were unaccounted for several hours after the disaster struck, according to the tourism ministry. PRAKASH MATHEMA / AFP via Getty Images

The response

Rescue operations were being conducted by air, with the Nepali Army deploying helicopters to reach communities cut off by destroyed roads.

Government spokesperson Sasmit Pokharel said Nepal had asked both India and China for assistance with rescue efforts. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with his Nepali counterpart and said India was prepared to provide all possible forms of humanitarian assistance. Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered authorities to intensify searches for those missing after the Tibetan mudslide, with large-scale operations under way in Gyirong.

President Ramachandra Paudel said he was extremely saddened by the loss of life and property, and called on the government, political parties, agencies and the public to intensify rescue and relief efforts. The Prime Minister's Office expressed condolences to bereaved families.

Authorities have warned residents along the Bhote Koshi, Trishuli and Narayani rivers to move to higher ground and stay away from the banks. Rasuwa's chief district officer, Narendra Pariyar, said there could be heavy casualties and property loss.

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