At least 675 people have been killed in catastrophic flash flooding along the Nepal-Tibet border, according to Nepali police and disaster authorities cited by Reuters on August 29, 2026. A wall of mud and rock triggered flooding in the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river areas on August 26, leaving nearly 3,000 people missing across Nepal and Tibet’s Gyirong County.
India dispatched an 11-member tunnel rescue team to Nepal on August 29 to assist search-and-rescue operations in the worst-hit regions. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs said 287 Indian nationals and 128 persons of Indian origin remained uncontactable following the disaster, The Hindu reported.
“The MEA has stated that at least 287 Indians remain missing as on Saturday (August 29, 2026) and in addition, 128 persons of Indian origin are also missing following the disaster,” the ministry said in a statement. Reuters, quoting rescue authorities, said teams had located 100 missing Indian visitors, mostly pilgrims, and 25 Chinese workers near Trishuli.
The Nepali Army reported that 2,465 people had been evacuated, including 163 foreigners, with 191 workers pulled from hydropower tunnels in Trishuli and Rasuwa. Search operations were temporarily halted before resuming in the afternoon on August 29, Reuters reported.
The death toll climbed from 157 on August 26 to 359 by August 27 and reached 675 by August 29, with roughly 540 of the missing identified as foreign nationals. The flooding has strained Nepal’s emergency infrastructure, with rescue teams navigating damaged terrain amid fresh flooding risks and deteriorating weather conditions.
Nepal’s Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle said damage assessments remained preliminary. “This is just an estimate. Loss and damage is being assessed,” Wagle said, as reported by The Hindu.
The specific trigger of the flood, reported as a glacier collapse by Reuters and The Hindu, has not been independently confirmed by investigators. Cape Flats News journalist Thandi Mokoena will provide an update once Nepali authorities release revised casualty and rescue figures.