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Nepal Counts 1,453 Dead and Thousands Missing After Himalayan Bedrock Collapse

The government is shifting from rescue to a $4.8 billion reconstruction plan and seeking international aid to cope with mass displacement and crippled hydropower infrastructure.

Narayan Prasad Nepal, left, stands outside his damaged house by a flash flood in Galchi, Nuwakot, Nepal, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
A woman walks past a damaged bridge and trees left by a flash flood on the bank of the Trishuli River in Nuwakot district, Nepal, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Workers weld metal frames while building temporary shelters for survivors of recent flash floods in Nepal's Nuwakot district, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Pasang Maya Tamang stands inside a classroom converted into a temporary shelter as she shows a photograph of her 5-year-old son, who was swept away by flash floods, in Nepal's Nuwakot district, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Overview

  • A fast-moving surge of ice, rock and water from a high‑altitude bedrock or glacial collapse on Aug. 26 has left 1,453 bodies recovered and about 5,600 people still listed as missing, officials say.
  • Search teams continue to clear mud-filled hydropower tunnels and remote valleys, and hundreds of hydropower workers remain unaccounted for after project sites were swept away.
  • DNA testing and forensic identification are heavily backlogged, only 112 bodies have been returned to families, and international experts from several countries are assisting the effort.
  • Nearly 33,000 people have been affected, roughly 7,500 homes were damaged or destroyed, and authorities say rebuilding roads, bridges and power projects will cost about $4.77–4.8 billion.
  • Nepal’s leaders have framed the disaster as a climate warning and are pressing the United Nations and donors for technical help and financing to rebuild more climate‑resilient infrastructure.