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Flash Flood From Tibet Devastates Central Nepal, Scores Dead and Hundreds Missing

Scientists say a glacier or ice‑rock collapse likely caused the surge and officials warn a still‑blocked upstream lake could send more flood waves downstream.

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. SOCIAL MEDIA/via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. NEWS USE ONLY. VERIFICATION: - Buildings, river, road layout and terrain matched archive and satellite imagery on Tibet-China border - Coordinates: 28.280317840785155, 85.37761006909693 - Date confirmed by timestamp of the CCTV footage - Both Nepali and Chinese government reported on the mudslide - Rasuwa district administrator told Reuters that there could be heavy casualties or loss of property on August 26 - Chinese President Xi Jinping urged "all-out" search efforts for the missing as well as stronger monitoring and early warning systems to prevent secondary disasters on August 26
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Rescue workers repair a damaged road leading to Gyirong Port following a mudslide, in Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region, China August 27, 2026. China Daily via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. CHINA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN CHINA.

Overview

  • A sudden debris‑filled surge entered the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers and tore through border valleys on Wednesday, sweeping away villages, bridges and roads and cutting communications.
  • Official counts vary with some agencies reporting about 157–160 dead while later searches and wider tallies put deaths higher and missing people ranging from several hundred to more than 1,200, including large numbers of foreign tourists and Indian pilgrims.
  • Analyses of seismic and satellite data led the USGS and other experts to identify a glacial or ice‑rock collapse and possible glacial‑lake outburst flood (GLOF) as the trigger rather than ordinary rainfall.
  • More than 5,000 Nepalese security personnel have been mobilised with multiple helicopters and ground teams searching for survivors while India, China, the United States and other partners have offered or sent relief and rescue support.
  • The floods damaged multiple hydropower projects and key roads and bridges, isolating communities, threatening power supplies and creating a continued hazard because an upstream blocked lake has not fully drained.