Nepal flood leaves more than 400 tourists missing, including about 340 foreigners
Rescuers are searching for survivors after flooding struck Nepal’s mountainous border with Tibet, with at least 160 people confirmed dead across Nepal and Tibet.
More than 400 tourists, including about 340 foreign nationals, were reported missing after catastrophic flooding struck Nepal’s mountainous border with Tibet, as rescue operations continued on Thursday, 27 August 2026.
Nepalese police had recovered 157 bodies by late Wednesday, while China reported three deaths at the Gyirong border port in Tibet. The confirmed death toll across Nepal and Tibet stood at least 160, with hundreds of people still missing.
The affected region is popular with trekkers and religious pilgrims travelling to Kailash Manasarovar in Tibet. Those reported missing included 133 Indians, 47 Americans, 34 Australians, 33 British nationals and 24 Canadians. Nationals of South Korea, Malaysia and Japan were also reported missing.
A torrent of water, rock and mud swept through settlements along the border, destroying homes, roads, bridges, vehicles and hydropower infrastructure. Helicopters evacuated survivors from accessible locations, but high water levels prevented them from landing in Syapru Besi and Timure in Nepal’s Rasuwa district.
Rescue teams faced destroyed roads, damaged communications infrastructure and power cuts across parts of the disaster zone. Residents gathered outside a Nepalese army training centre being used as a helicopter rescue base to seek information about missing relatives.
An initial assessment of Planet Labs satellite imagery indicated that a collapse involving glacial ice and rock triggered a debris-filled flood in the Lhende River, about 20 kilometres north-east of the Rasuwagadhi border crossing. The US Geological Survey later said the seismic signal recorded at the time was generated by the collapse and resulting debris flow, rather than by a separate earthquake. The precise reason for the glacier’s failure has not been established.
Nepal’s Foreign Ministry reported that no Thai nationals had been injured or killed. The Royal Thai Embassy in Kathmandu confirmed extensive damage in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha and Chitwan, with infrastructure along the Bhote Koshi River particularly badly affected.
Thai nationals requiring assistance can contact the embassy’s 24-hour emergency number at +977-9818749944.
