Nepal flash floods kill dozens, leave hundreds missing

A catastrophic flash flood tore through the Nepal-Tibet border region early Wednesday morning, killing at least 95 people and leaving nearly 400 others missing, including hundreds of foreign tourists, in one of the worst mountain disasters in recent Himalayan history.

The Bhote Koshi River flooded at approximately 8:30 a.m. local time in Nepal's northern Rasuwa district, destroying villages, roads, bridges, and hydropower infrastructure across multiple districts north of Kathmandu. Among the 384 people reported missing are 291 foreign nationals — including at least three Americans traveling with Fishtail Tours and Travel Tourism Agency, 142 Indian nationals, 12 British citizens, 17 Malaysians, and eight South Koreans working on a hydropower plant.cbsnews+3

What Caused the Disaster

Scientists say a glacier collapse, not an earthquake, most likely triggered the disaster. Dan Shugar at the University of Calgary said satellite imagery shows a glacier at roughly 5,200 meters altitude "snapped off and dropped over a kilometre vertically to the valley bottom". Warm weather in preceding hours likely melted snow and ice that lubricated the glacier's bed, causing the collapse. Seismologist Kristen Cook at the University of Grenoble confirmed the seismic data shows characteristics of a mass-wasting event rather than a tectonic earthquake.newscientist

Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said satellite analysis by Planet Labs indicated "a glacier-inclusive flood occurred in the Lhende River due to a snow-rock landslide" near the Rasuwagadhi border crossing. The flood spilled into Tibet's Gyirong county, engulfing a major border checkpoint and causing what Chinese state media described as "major casualties".foxweather+1

Rescue Efforts Hampered

Rescue operations face severe challenges. Helicopters have been unable to land in the hardest-hit areas of Syapru Besi and Timure due to floodwaters and debris. The Nepali Army reported 88 people rescued so far, while 115 remain trapped in the village of Mailung. Police spokesman Abi Narayan Kafle confirmed that almost 30 police personnel are among the missing.reuters+2

Authorities have warned that a second flood remains possible because a blockage is still lodged upstream on the Lhende Khola river. Flood alerts have been issued in the Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh along the Nepal border.reuters

International Response

The U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu said it is "working to account for U.S. citizens who may have been affected". India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had communicated with Nepal's Prime Minister Balen Shah, stating that "the people of India stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers in Nepal". China deployed at least 574 rescuers to the affected border crossing, while South Korea announced plans to send a rapid-response team.abcnews+2

Nepal's tourism board said most of the missing foreigners were likely pilgrims from India and the Indian diaspora traveling to Mount Kailash in Tibet. The same region experienced deadly flooding in August 2025 when a glacial lake in Tibet overflowed, killing nine people. Climate researchers say glacier hazards are intensifying as the Himalayan region warms faster than the global average.npr+1