Nepal and Tibet: More Than 1,300 Missing After Himalayan Flash Flood

Herz — World Desk · 27 August 2026 at 05:02 · 30s summary · 3 min read

What we know

More than 1,300 people are missing in Nepal and China after a flash flood in the Himalayas, according to ANSA and Die Zeit.

The death toll varies between sources and geographic areas. ANSA reports that Nepalese authorities have recovered 165 bodies in Nepal, while Die Zeit reports at least 163 deaths across the Nepal-Tibet border region.

In Nepal, 826 people are missing. That figure includes 85 members of the security forces: 44 soldiers, 28 police officers and 13 members of the Armed Police Force.

Chinese authorities reported this morning that 558 people were missing after a landslide along the Nepal-Tibet border. The total includes 260 foreign nationals.

Rescuers have saved 104 people, mainly in Nepal's Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading districts. Search operations resumed in the early hours of this morning.

Glacier collapse triggered the flood

The US Geological Survey, the US government agency responsible for Earth science, analyzed a signal recorded at 8:37 a.m. local time on Wednesday.

Initially measured as a magnitude 5.2 tremor, the event was not an earthquake. The USGS identified it as a glacier collapse followed by an avalanche of ice and debris.

An expert from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, cited by Die Zeit, said the avalanche first blocked the Lhende River. The barrier later gave way, releasing the flood wave.

1. Wednesday at 8:37 a.m. local time
   A magnitude 5.2 signal is recorded in the border region.
2. After the collapse
   Ice and debris initially block the Lhende River before the barrier gives way and releases the flood.
3. Wednesday
   An earlier count reports 403 tourists missing in Nepal.
4. This morning
   Search operations resume in Nepal as Chinese authorities report 558 people missing.

Villages and infrastructure swept away