A wall of mud and rock appeared to collapse into a river on the Himalayan border of Nepal and Tibet Wednesday, triggering a catastrophic flash flood on in Nepal.
At least 105 Indian tourists are reported missing after a flash flood swept through parts of the Nepal-Tibet border Wednesday.
The Nepal Tourism Board said 291 foreign nationals were among 384 reported missing after floodwaters tore through the Rasuwa district, destroying homes, vehicles, bridges and other infrastructure.
At least 22 are confirmed dead so far, according to The Kathmandu Post.
A horrific scene of severe flooding at the Rasuwagadhi border point on the Nepal-Tibet border.
The strong currents wreaked havoc across the area, leaving 400 pilgrims and 105 Indian tourists also missing in the Nepal floods.#NepalFloods #Nepal #Rasuwa #FlashFlood #Floods pic.twitter.com/dwAX12Gj7l— Ravi Pandey🇮🇳 (@ravipandey2643) August 26, 2026
Stay tuned for live updates.
Nepal flood | LIVE UPDATES
7.43 pm: Evacuation efforts, emergency medical assistance underway
Those injured in the flash flood caused by an outburst in the Bhotekoshi River being treated at a Rasuwa hospital.
7.31 pm: Satellite images indicate ‘glacier-inclusive flood’
Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority has posted satellite images on X, saying that an initial analysis of these images by Planet Labs indicates that a “glacier-inclusive flood” occurred in the Lhende river due to a snow-rock landslide that took place on the Nepal-China border, approximately 20 km northeast of the Nepal-China Rasuwagadhi border crossing.
Planet Labs को स्याटेलाइट तस्बिरको विश्लेषणका आधारमा गरिएको प्रारम्भिक अध्ययनबाट नेपाल-चीन रसुवागढी नाकाबाट करिब २० किलोमिटर उत्तरपूर्व नेपाल-चीन सिमानामा गएको हिम-चट्टान पहिरोका कारण ल्हेन्दे खोलामा गेग्य्रानसहितको बाढी आएको देखिएको छ। pic.twitter.com/kCAo9O1Zb0
— NDRRMA (@NDRRMA_Nepal) August 26, 2026
6.25 pm: High water levels complicate relief efforts in Timure & Syapru Besi
Two Nepal Army helicopters Kathmandu were dispatched toward the affected areas, but officials said they were unable to land in Timure and Syapru Besi because water levels remained too high. Army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet said the difficult conditions had severely complicated rescue efforts.
Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah chaired an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers to assess the flooding, damage and ongoing rescue operations.
“People along the river are advised to exercise extra caution and remain alert,” Shah said.
Home Minister Sudan Gurung also urged residents living along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli riverbanks to evacuate to safer areas.
The flooding moved downstream into the Trishuli River basin, prompting warnings for settlements in Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha and Chitwan. Authorities also suspended traffic from Kathmandu toward Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Chitwan and Dhading because of a flood threat.
Timure Bazaar, a market near the Tibetan border, and the adjacent customs area suffered extensive damage, with vehicles and goods carried away by the floodwaters. Nine Armed Police Force personnel stationed in Timure near the border were also reported missing.
Hydropower facilities, roads and bridges were also damaged or swept away. Nepal’s Energy Ministry said roughly 430 megawatts of electricity supply had been affected, most of it from hydropower projects, making up more than 12 percent of Nepal’s total installed hydropower capacity of about 3.2 gigawatts, according to Reuters.
The floodwaters from the Bhote Koshi had reached Narayani Devghat, where water levels continued to rise.
6.20 pm: Cause still under investigation
The surge entered the Bhote Koshi River from the Tibetan side at about 9 am Wednesday, severely affecting the border settlements of Timure and Syapru Besi, according to officials.
A mudslide also struck the Tibetan side near the Gyirong border crossing, causing casualties and leaving people missing. the flooding did not appear to have been caused by heavy rainfall in Rasuwa. Satellite imagery instead showed significant rainfall on the Tibetan side of the border.
Officials are investigating whether a glacial lake outburst flood, or GLOF, had triggered the sudden surge.
Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal told Parliament that preliminary information suggested that the flooding in the Rasuwa district might have been caused by an avalanche triggered by an earthquake Wednesday in the Tibetan region.
6.15 pm: At least 384 tourists missing
At least 384 travellers, including 105 Indians, 93 Nepalis, three US citizens and 12 British nationals were missing from the region, Nepal‘s tourism authority said, according to Reuters.
South Korean news agency Yonhap has also reported that about eight of its nationals were also unaccounted for in Nepal.
6.00 pm: ‘Major casualties’ expected
Verified videos showed several people swept away at the Nepal-Tibet border, with authorities on both sides fearing far higher casualties and massive destruction.
Houses, roads and power projects were swept away in Nepal, while officials in Tibet said they feared “major casualties” with some missing in the county of Gyirong after a mudslide hit a border land crossing, Reuters reports.
5.45 pm: Modi speaks to Balen Shah
India is sending relief material as soon as possible, govt sources said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to Nepal counterpart Balendra Shah and conveyed condolences on the loss of lives due to the floods in Nepal. “The people of India stand in solidarity with their sisters and brothers in Nepal at this difficult time,” he told Shah.
More than 300 Indian pilgrims travelling to Tibet for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra were also cut off from communication in the Rasuwagadhi area along the Nepal-China border, according to The Kathmandu Post.