Flash floods at the Nepal-Tibet border have claimed at least 98 lives, while several hundred people remain missing, mostly foreigners. Authorities are actively conducting search operations.
Foreign news agencies report that the large flash flood event at the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday, 26 Aug 2026 GMT+7, has caused at least 98 fatalities in both Nepal and Tibet. Meanwhile, hundreds of tourists remain unreachable hours after the disaster occurred.
Large masses of mud and rocks collapsed from the Himalayas into the Lhende River along the Nepal-China (Tibet) border, triggering mudflows and debris to burst through the riverbank, swiftly flooding and damaging homes. This prompted urgent search efforts for survivors.
Initially, Nepal police reported at least 22 deaths, but the Nepalese Prime Minister’s Office later confirmed the toll had risen to 95. Search and rescue operations are ongoing.
Nepal’s Tourism Board stated that the number of missing persons has also increased, with the latest figure at 403—comprising 61 Nepalese and 341 foreigners.
The board added that among the missing, 200 are women and 203 men. Foreigners missing come from at least 26 countries, with the largest groups being 133 Indians, 47 Americans, and 33 British citizens.
Photos released by Nepal police show raging floodwaters sweeping away destroyed houses along the river, while AFP images reveal just the upper floor of a house protruding above the mud.
A police spokesperson told AFP that officials do not yet know the full extent of the damage but have "warned residents living near the riverbanks to relocate to safer areas."
Nepal Electricity Authority reported that about 430 megawatts of power generation from hydropower and solar plants were damaged. "This disaster has severely impacted power generation, transmission, and distribution systems, causing widespread power outages."
Sarthak Shrestha, a remote sensing and GIS analyst at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu, said initial assessments found "no abnormalities" on the Chinese border side.
"We believe snow and rock avalanches occurred on the Nepal side, blocking the Lhende River, a tributary of the Bhotekoshi River, which caused subsequent flood surges," Sarthak told AFP. Nepalese authorities also stated that several highways have been closed due to the flash floods.
The Chinese border area adjacent to Nepal was also affected. China's state broadcaster CCTV reported that the landslide in Nepal caused 3 deaths and 265 missing persons near Gyirong Port in Tibet. President Xi Jinping has ordered maximum rescue efforts.
According to CCTV, President Xi said, "The most urgent mission is to do everything possible to find and rescue the missing, provide medical treatment to the injured, and minimize deaths."
Traffic officials in Shigatse city, Tibet, posted on social media on Wednesday that transportation routes in the area "are at risk of mudslides and unsafe for travel."
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