DEVIGHAT, Nepal, Aug 27 – Rescue crews searched through mud, debris and damaged communities along the Nepal-Tibet border on Thursday after a massive surge of water and sediment swept through the Himalayan region, killing at least 273 people and leaving more than 1,300 others missing.
The disaster struck a day earlier after the collapse of ice and debris high in the mountains unleashed a powerful torrent that rushed through valleys and settlements with little warning. Buildings were damaged or swept away, bridges disappeared beneath the water and roads were cut off, leaving rescuers struggling to reach some of the worst-hit areas.
Videos recorded during the disaster showed people running for safety as muddy floodwaters surged through populated areas. In some places, the water and debris rose several stories high, carrying vehicles, construction material and other wreckage downstream.
Authorities said at least 270 people had died in Nepal and another three were confirmed dead in Tibet, an autonomous region of China. Nepal reported 826 people missing, while authorities in Tibet said 558 remained unaccounted for.
The destruction has been particularly severe in parts of Nepal’s Nuwakot and Chitwan districts and around the border areas connecting Nepal and Tibet. Survivors described scenes of widespread devastation, with homes buried in mud and personal belongings scattered across roads and fields.
In Nuwakot, images from the affected communities showed mud covering the upper floors of buildings. Vehicles were partially buried, while debris became tangled in trees and electrical wires.
Nirajan Paudyal, a journalist in Kathmandu whose parents and other relatives live in the village of Soley in Nuwakot district, said he had received no information about them.
“There is no update till now. I fear there won’t be any update,” Paudyal said.
The scale of the destruction has made communication difficult in several locations, adding to the anxiety of families waiting for information about relatives.
Helicopters Join Search as Roads and Bridges Are Destroyed
The Nepalese army has turned to helicopters to reach isolated communities after flooding destroyed dozens of bridges and damaged nearly 40 kilometers (25 miles) of roads.
Army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet said military helicopters had already rescued more than 100 people from flood-affected areas. Soldiers also evacuated people trapped at facilities associated with the Trishuli hydropower project.
Many injured survivors were taken to Kathmandu for treatment, particularly those requiring medical care that was not available in the affected districts.
The search has also extended far beyond the areas where the flooding began. Rescue workers have recovered bodies hundreds of kilometers downstream, underscoring the force of the water and debris that swept through the river system.
The Nepal Red Cross Society said the emergency response was gradually moving from immediate rescue toward large-scale relief. Bishal Kumar Bhandari, chairman of the organization, said about 1,200 people had been displaced from at least three villages and were in need of assistance.
In Tibet, the situation was also described as extremely dangerous. China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported that a mudslide near the Gyirong Port border crossing left surrounding areas covered by mud that averaged more than 1.5 meters (5 feet) deep.
Roads leading to the crossing were damaged, while authorities warned that continued rainfall could trigger additional landslides and secondary collapses.
Chinese authorities sent a large military transport aircraft carrying a rescue team to the region. Chinese Premier Li Qiang traveled to Gyirong on Thursday to oversee emergency operations.
Officials also warned about a barrier lake that formed where the Tsogyal and Purupqiangzangbu rivers meet. Authorities said the lake was overflowing and could potentially burst, creating another dangerous surge downstream.
The United Nations has also joined the emergency response. U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher announced the release of $2 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to support medical treatment, shelter and access to clean water.
Fletcher described the flooding as horrifying and said emergency teams had been mobilized, with additional personnel placed on standby.
Hundreds of Foreigners Among Those Missing
The disaster has also raised concerns internationally because hundreds of foreign visitors were in the affected region when the flooding occurred.
Nepal’s Tourism Board said 517 of the people missing in Nepal were foreigners. Of those, 178 were Indian nationals. More than 60 missing people were from the United States, while others came from about 30 countries, including the United Kingdom, Ukraine, South Africa and Japan.
The affected border region is an important route for people traveling toward Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred destination for Hindus, Buddhists and followers of other faiths. The timing of the disaster has therefore created particular concern among pilgrimage groups.
Indian spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev said in a post on X that 77 members of one pilgrimage group had been caught in the flooding at an immigration office near the border. He said the group included people from several countries and that there was still no official information about everyone who had been at the facility.
Sadhguru said the building where the group had been only about a week earlier had been swept away, illustrating the extent of the destruction.
According to his account, 22 U.S. citizens were among those whose whereabouts were unknown.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian separately said that nearly 100 Chinese citizens were missing on the Nepalese side of the border. He also said preliminary information indicated that 260 foreigners were among those missing in Tibet.
The large number of missing foreign nationals has added another layer of complexity to an already difficult rescue operation. Authorities must identify people from multiple countries while dealing with damaged roads, disrupted communications and unstable terrain.
Families and governments are awaiting confirmation about the fate of those who remain unaccounted for.
Glacier Collapse Raises Fresh Climate Concerns
The exact chain of events behind the flooding became clearer as scientists reviewed seismic and environmental data.
The U.S. Geological Survey initially reported a magnitude 4.4 earthquake early Wednesday, roughly 65 kilometers (40 miles) north of Kathmandu near the Nepal-Tibet border. The agency later revised its assessment, identifying the event as a magnitude 5.2 glacier collapse rather than an earthquake.
Climate specialists at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, based in Kathmandu, said an avalanche from a glacier was the likely trigger for the sudden flash flood.
The organization said water levels on the Trishuli River rose by as much as 9 meters (27 feet) in just half an hour. Such a rapid rise left little time for people living near the river and in downstream settlements to react.
The Himalayan region is particularly exposed to disasters involving glaciers, landslides and sudden floods. Steep mountain slopes, rapidly changing weather and extensive networks of rivers create conditions in which a collapse high in the mountains can quickly become a major disaster far downstream.
Scientists have increasingly warned that rising temperatures are changing the Himalayan cryosphere. Glaciers are losing ice, while unstable slopes and glacial lakes can pose growing risks to communities and infrastructure.
The latest disaster is not an isolated event. In August 2025, a glacial lake in Tibet overflowed after a period of unusually high temperatures, killing nine people and damaging important infrastructure, including a bridge linking Nepal and China.
The repeated disasters have intensified concerns about the safety of communities living along Himalayan rivers and about the vulnerability of roads, bridges, hydropower facilities and border crossings.
For now, however, rescuers remain focused on the immediate crisis. Search teams are continuing to look for missing people while aid workers prepare food, water, shelter and medical supplies for those displaced by the floods.
With hundreds still missing in both Nepal and Tibet, the final human toll is expected to remain uncertain until rescuers can reach isolated communities and search areas buried beneath mud and debris. The priority for authorities remains finding survivors, recovering the dead and preventing further loss of life as rain continues to threaten the already fragile mountain terrain.