Overview
- A sudden glacial or ice‑rock collapse upstream produced a fast, debris‑filled flood that struck central Nepal on Wednesday, sweeping through border towns and wrecking roads, bridges and hydropower sites.
- Nepal authorities say the death toll has climbed into the hundreds with hundreds more still unaccounted for as search teams race to reach remote, damaged districts.
- India’s Ministry of External Affairs set up a round‑the‑clock control room and published telephone, WhatsApp and email helplines to assist stranded or uncontactable Indian nationals.
- The MEA reports 288 Indian nationals are currently uncontactable, including 73 workers from the Trishuli‑I power project, and several Indian states have opened their own assistance desks.
- Rescue efforts are hampered by damaged infrastructure and communication outages, raising fears of further surges from blocked upstream waters and prompting coordinated searches with Nepali and Chinese teams.