AT LEAST 95 people were killed in Nepal on Wednesday after a massive flood tore through the border region with Tibet, a police spokesman told AFP. "So far 95 deaths have been reported," spokesman Abi Narayan Kafle said, adding that some 28 police personnel were also missing.
At least 133 Indians are among those reported missing, according to preliminary figures. Many of the missing Indian nationals were reportedly traveling to Tibet for the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage. At least 77 pilgrims from Sadhguru's Isha Foundation are missing after the flash floods hit Nepal, with the team at the immigration office on its way back from Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet, the spiritual leader said in an online post.
A torrent of mud and debris burst from the banks of a river between China and Nepal, burying buildings and triggering a frantic search for survivors. Chinese state media reported "major casualties" from a mudslide at a Tibet trade hub on China's side of its border with Nepal, and President Xi Jinping ordered an "all-out" rescue effort.
"I got a call from (my brother-in-law) this morning, and they were crying and said their entire house had been swept away. Three family members were rescued, but his brother is still missing," said 56-year-old Raju Bhadel.
An earlier police toll put the number of dead at 19, with 384 tourists — 291 of them foreigners — unaccounted for over eight hours after the disaster struck. Nepal's tourism board, which released the figure, said Americans, Indians, an Australian, Malaysians and Britons were among those unaccounted for. Separately, at least 384 travelers, including 105 Indians, 93 Nepalis, three U.S. citizens, and 12 British citizens, were reported missing. Eight South Koreans working on a hydropower plant were also unaccounted for. The other missing included 17 Malaysian nationals, four South Africans, and one person each from Australia and the Netherlands.
Amid the devastation, the whereabouts of 37 tourists from Tamil Nadu, who were reportedly on their way to a temple in the Himalayas, were yet to be confirmed, officials said Wednesday. Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay said senior government officials had been put on the job to "rescue swiftly, those who are missing."
A CCTV footage shows people running away as wall of mud and water destroys buildings in a valley at Nepal-China border, in Gyirong, Tibet region, China August 26, 2026, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video.Reuters
India on Wednesday night sent the first tranche of relief supplies in a military transport aircraft to Nepal. The relief materials were sent hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to his Nepalese counterpart Balendra Shah and assured him of all possible humanitarian assistance. "The people of India stand in solidarity with their sisters and brothers in Nepal at this difficult time," Modi said on social media after the conversation.
Images shared by Nepali police showed floodwater surging through a river, sweeping away houses in its path, while AFP images depicted the top floor of a house sticking out from muddy soil. A police spokesman told AFP earlier that authorities did not know the extent of the damage but said they had "alerted people who are staying near the riverside to relocate."
The Nepal Army said it had deployed helicopters and disaster response personnel to the affected area, though officials have said rescue helicopters would not be able to land in the affected areas until the waters recede. Police and military personnel were engaged in rescue efforts, and people living in low-lying regions were being moved to safer places, with those along the river advised to remain alert.
The Nepal Electricity Authority said about 430 megawatts of production capacity, including from hydropower and solar facilities, has been damaged. "The disaster has damaged the production, transmission and distribution facilities of the Authority... resulting in disruption of electricity supply," it said.
Sarthak Shrestha, a remote sensing and geo information analyst at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), said a preliminary assessment showed "no anomalies" from China's side of the border. "We believe a rock-ice avalanche occurred in Nepal, blocking the Lhende river and causing the cascading flood event," he told AFP. It is suspected that an earthquake struck the region and triggered the ice-rock avalanche on the Lhende Khola river in Nepal, which runs through both Nepal and Tibet, causing the floods.
Torrential floods swallowed roads, bridges, houses, and power projects in the border areas of Nepal, and triggered a mudslide that hit Gyirong Port, a major land crossing with neighboring Tibet, cutting roads, communications, and power links to the area. Dozens of people have also been injured. Several highways were also closed, Nepali authorities said.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported Wednesday that "a mudslide disaster on the Nepalese side resulted in major casualties and missing people at the Gyirong Port" in Tibet. Footage shared by the broadcaster, which AFP was unable to immediately verify, showed rushing water carrying tree branches and debris, as well as a flooded road.
China's leader said that "the most urgent task is doing everything possible to search for and rescue the missing people... quickly treat injured people and minimize casualties to the greatest extent possible," according to CCTV. Traffic authorities in Tibet's Shigatse said roads in the area were "at risk of mudslides and unsafe for passage" in a post to social media Wednesday.
In July last year, 17 people went missing after a mudslide near the Gyirong Port, Xinhua reported at the time.
Monsoon rains from June to September regularly trigger deadly floods and landslides across South Asia, and scientists say climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in the region.
Authorities have warned that a second flood may occur since a blockage is still lodged upstream on the Lhende Khola river. "With a blockage still lodged upstream on the Nepal-China border river, authorities warn a second flood may occur," said Qianggong Zhang, head of climate and environmental risks at ICIMOD. Flood alerts have also been issued in the Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, which border Nepal, since several rivers flow down the Himalayas into their plains.
China has deployed at least 574 rescuers to the land crossing, but the flood sediment is posing a challenge. Other countries have also offered to help. India said it was coordinating closely with Kathmandu on rescue and relief efforts, while South Korea plans to send a rapid-response team comprising government officials and fire and police personnel.
(With inputs from agencies)
