Nepal flash floods kill 270, leave 826 missing after glacial collapse

Flash floods triggered by a glacial collapse tore through central Nepal, leaving hundreds dead and missing. The disaster has widened fears over mountain hazards, stranded tourists and damaged critical infrastructure.Image used for representational purposes onlyNepal's flash floods have killed 270 people and left 826 missing, including 288 Indian nationals, as rescue teams continued search operations across several districts on Thursday. The floods, which originated in Tibet and swept through central Nepal on Wednesday, have also damaged bridges, roads and hydropower projects.Authorities said 590 of those missing are tourists, while a preliminary assessment by Nepalese agencies and a revised analysis by the US Geological Survey indicated that a glacial collapse or an ice-rock avalanche triggered the disaster. The collapse is believed to have sent ice, rock and debris into the Lhende River, temporarily blocking it before the obstruction gave way and sent a massive surge into the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river system.The floods first hit Rasuwa district, near Nepal's border with Tibet, about 160 km from Kathmandu, before moving downstream and affecting multiple districts. Videos on social media showed buildings, vehicles, trees, people and animals being swept away. Nepal's Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said, "Thousands of families have lost homes and are missing as of now. We are still trying to ascertain the full extent of the disaster."Nepal Police said the death toll rose to 270 after 93 more bodies were recovered. According to police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle, the bodies recovered so far include 108 in Chitwan, 62 in Nawalparasi East, 27 in Dhading, 20 in Gorkha, 17 in Rasuwa, 15 in Nawalparasi West, 12 in Nuwakot and nine in Tanahun. Officials said 44 Nepali Army personnel, 28 Nepal Police personnel and 13 Armed Police Force personnel are also missing. Around 160 people working at hydropower and customs offices have not been traced. Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said 590 of the missing were tourists, including 476 foreigners and 114 Nepalis. The foreign tourists were from more than 30 countries, including the US, Canada, South Africa, the UK, Italy and South Korea.India's Ministry of External Affairs said 288 of the missing were Indians. Officials said most of the Indian tourists were travelling to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet and Gosainkunda in Nepal's Bagmati Province. Search and rescue operations continued in the affected areas, with security personnel and local authorities searching riverbanks and downstream stretches. Officials rescued 27 foreign tourists stranded in Rasuwa on Thursday, including 11 Indians, four South Koreans, two Italians and two US citizens. The nationalities of the other eight were yet to be confirmed by the Nepal Tourism Board. They were airlifted to Kathmandu in the afternoon with the help of the Nepal Army.The floods have damaged 35 motorable bridges, 45 suspension bridges and 40 km of black-topped road, mainly in central Nepal. Efforts were under way to reopen the Galchhi-Baireni road in Dhading, which was blocked after the floods in Rasuwa. Armed Police Force personnel and local residents were deployed to clear debris and restore traffic. In some places, mud and rocks have blocked roads, while in others movement has been halted because of possible flood-related risks. A section of the national highway from Nagdhunga in Kathmandu to Mugling has also been shut indefinitely.Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah visited Bidur Municipality in Nuwakot district on Thursday to inspect the affected areas. A preliminary assessment by disaster management authorities said the flash flood in the Trishuli River was caused by an ice avalanche upstream that blocked the Lendhe River on the Nepal-Tibet border. The NDRRMA said a debris-laden flood occurred in the Lendhe River following an ice-rock landslide at the border, about 20 km northeast of Rasuwagadhi. "The same flood appears to have entered the Trishuli River after passing through Timure," the authority said.On Wednesday, Khanal had told Parliament that an earthquake struck the Tibet region at 8.37 am local time and the flash floods were reported three minutes later, suggesting the tremors may have caused a glacial outburst. However, the US Geological Survey later said the floods were triggered by a glacial collapse, not by a magnitude 4.4 earthquake. It said additional analysis of long-period seismic waves showed that the tremors were generated by a glacial collapse and debris flow.With 270 confirmed dead, 826 people still missing and heavy damage to roads, bridges and key infrastructure, rescue teams remained engaged across central Nepal on Thursday as authorities worked to trace those unaccounted for and assess the full scale of the disaster.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 27, 2026 17:20 IST