Nepal Flash Floods: Heavy Casualties Feared
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At least 17 killed as flash flood sweeps part of Nepal-Tibet border
Image source: Shaktimaya Tamang
By Phanindra Dahal and Laura Bicker
Published 26 August 2026, 08:55 BST
Updated 3 minutes ago
At least 17 people have been killed after a massive flash flood and mudslide along the Nepal-Tibet border washed away villages and damaged roads and infrastructure, according to police.
The flood hit early on Wednesday in Rasuwa, just north of Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, reportedly caused by excessive snow melting into the Bhote Koshi river.
Search operations are under way on both sides of the border between Tibet and Nepal, with 12 people rescued so far. Chinese state media, which controls Tibet, report significant casualties, while Nepalese officials anticipate "huge scale loss."
Nepal Police spokesman Abhi Narayan Kaphle told the BBC that all security agencies were working together on rescue efforts.
[Videos show floodwater crashing through villages.]
Several areas downstream of the Bhote Koshi river are on high alert, with roads, communications, and power disrupted in the region. The authorities say the main road to Kathmandu is closed.
"Our logistics company has seven container trucks there, all staffed by Nepalese employees. We have lost contact with all of them. There is no signal, so we cannot reach anyone," Yee Liang, a Chinese businessman based in Kathmandu, shared with the BBC.
"As far as I know, there was no warning. There were occasional mudslides and landslides, especially in the rainy season, but this one seems much more serious."
The extent of the damage on the Tibetan side remains unclear, but the BBC spoke to Guan Daoxuan in Sichuan province who lost contact with his wife late on Wednesday morning. She works for a state-run construction company involved in building roads and bridges in Tibet. Guan said Nepalese authorities had attempted to send a helicopter to inspect the area due to road access being cut off, but strong winds were hampering the aircraft’s efforts.
Nepal’s disaster management authority has urged people living near river banks in vulnerable areas to remain alert and take precautions.
"Work has started to take necessary steps in coordination with the medical team, scouts, and Red Cross," Prime Minister Balendra Shah stated in a social media post after an emergency meeting to assess the situation.
Authorities have reported 13 missing police officers from two posts in Rasuwa district, and they are unable to contact dozens of other police officers.
Rasuwa witnessed deadly flooding last year that claimed 18 lives following a glacier burst on the Chinese side of the border. Officials believe this disaster surpasses last year’s floods in scale.
