Nepal flash floods LIVE: 162 killed, 133 Indians still missing; US agency says floods caused by glacial collapse
Nepal flash floods LIVE: At least 162 people were killed, while hundreds, including 133 Indians, remain missing after flash floods hit the countries' Himalayan border region. The US Geological Survey said that glacial collapse triggered seismic activity and caused "catastrophic" downstream impacts.
Nepal flash floods LIVE: At least 162 people were killed, while hundreds, including 133 Indians, remained missing on Thursday after a flash flood swept through communities along Nepal's Bhote Koshi River near the Tibet border. Travel in several areas was also halted....Read More
The US Geological Survey said in a statement that a glacial collapse triggered seismic activity and led to "catastrophic" downstream impacts in Nepal and Tibet.
Meanwhile, India has sent 10 tonnes of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), along with essential medicines, to help Nepal, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said.
Nepal floods: The latest
- The death toll has risen to 160, while hundreds remain missing after the devastating floods in Nepal.
- Rescue teams on Thursday continued searching for people missing after flash floods and landslides near the Nepal-Tibet border.
- In the disaster-hit areas, rescuers moved through thick mud and sludge in search of survivors after floodwaters buried the lower floors of multi-storey buildings.
- The missing foreign nationals include 133 Indians, along with people from Australia, Britain, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea and the United States.
- The US government on Wednesday expressed condolences over the deadly floods in Nepal and said it would provide $500,000 in emergency assistance, according to the state department.
What caused the devastating flash floods in Nepal?
A glacial collapse triggered seismic activity and caused "catastrophic" downstream impacts in Nepal and Tibet, the US Geological Survey said on Thursday.
The agency said the seismic activity, which was initially believed to be an earthquake, "was instead a glacial collapse and debris flow" that "caused subsequent catastrophic impacts downstream".
Early reports had suggested that an earthquake might have triggered an avalanche, leading to severe flooding in Nepal. Nepal's foreign minister Shisir Khanal mentioned this possibility in a statement, according to local media outlets.
Bihar, UP on alert amid Nepal flash floods
Bihar and Uttar Pradesh were put on high alert on Wednesday after flash floods in neighbouring Nepal caused damage across several districts in the Gandak river basin. Authorities began emergency preparations, including moving people away from vulnerable areas.
Union home minister Amit Shah spoke to Bihar chief minister Samrat Choudhary and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath about the situation and the possibility of rising water levels in rivers.
"The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been placed on high alert along with the local administrations and relief-rescue teams in the border areas where its impact may be felt," Shah said.
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- 27 Aug 2026, 09:27:58 AM IST
Nepal floods LIVE: Death count rises to 162 in Nepal floods
Nepal floods LIVE: The toll from the massive flash floods in Nepal rose to 162 on Thursday, with several people, including security personnel and foreign tourists, still missing in one of the country's worst disasters in recent years, police said.
The flash floods wreaked havoc across three districts of Nepal on Wednesday.
Nepal Police said the death count from the flash flood in the Bhotekoshi River had risen to 162, a day after the disaster devastated three districts.
(Inputs from news agency PTI)
- 27 Aug 2026, 09:14:32 AM IST
Nepal floods LIVE: Tharoor says, ‘Took off for Kathmandu yesterday, blissfully unaware’ of disaster
Nepal floods LIVE: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said he was “blissfully unaware” of the devastation caused by the flash floods in Nepal when he travelled to Kathmandu on Wednesday.
“Took off for Kathmandu yesterday, blissfully unaware of the drama that had taken place in the hills and caused such catastrophic damage,” Tharoor said in a post on X.
"A severe, sudden flash flood struck northern Nepal’s Rasuwa district near the Tibet border, causing widespread destruction along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers. Global warming and/or an earthquake in Tibet may have caused a large chunk of a glacier to break off and fall into the valley below, experts surmise", he wrote.
"Learned on arrival of the loss of life (now confirmed at 160 so far) and the fact that some 2000 or more people are estimated to be missing. Raging floodwaters destroyed at least 19 motorable bridges, washed away roughly 40 km of the Betrawati–Rasuwagadhi highway, and heavily damaged eight operational hydropower projects. I fully support the Indian government’s immediate pledge of relief assistance. Nepal needs all the help it can get. My heart goes out to the victims and their loved ones, who include large numbers of Indian tourists, including a hundred performing the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra. Prayers for the missing; may they be rescued soon," he further added.
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- 27 Aug 2026, 08:34:53 AM IST
Nepal floods LIVE: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand rush to evacuate people from border districts
Nepal floods LIVE: Officials and disaster response agencies in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Uttarakhand were put on high alert and began evacuating people from vulnerable areas in border districts after a flash flood upstream in Nepal's Bhote Koshi River in Rasuwa district killed at least 160 people and left hundreds of tourists, including 133 Indians, missing.
The flash flood, around 200 km north of the India-Nepal border, could raise river levels in Nepal-originating rivers, including the Gandak in Uttar Pradesh and parts of north Bihar.
(Inputs from Subhash Pathak, Sandeep Bhaskar)
- 27 Aug 2026, 08:24:20 AM IST
Nepal floods LIVE: Nepal says 468 tourists, mainly foreigners, out of contact
Nepal floods LIVE: Nepal said 468 tourists and travellers, including 393 foreign nationals, remained out of contact on Thursday, 24 hours after a deadly flood swept through the border region near Tibet.
"About 468 tourists and travellers are out of contact, among them 75 are Nepalis," Suraj Ghimire, department of tourism spokesperson, told news agency AFP.
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- 27 Aug 2026, 08:15:26 AM IST
Nepal flash floods LIVE: 558 people missing in Tibet after flash floods in Nepal, reports Chinese media
Nepal flash floods LIVE: China's state media said 558 people were missing in Tibet after floods that also left hundreds unaccounted for in neighbouring Nepal.
Of those missing in Tibet, 260 were foreign nationals, CCTV reported. The death toll remained at three, according to the report.
- 27 Aug 2026, 08:05:44 AM IST
Nepal flash floods LIVE: Australia says information on missing citizens ‘very limited’
Nepal flash floods LIVE: Australia foreign minister Penny Wong said on Thursday that information on at least 34 of its citizens missing in Nepal following deadly floods there was "very limited".
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- 27 Aug 2026, 07:49:59 AM IST
Nepal flash floods LIVE: Australia working to locate 34 missing citizens in Nepal
Nepal flash floods LIVE: Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said 34 Australian nationals are missing following violent flash floods in Nepal.
The floods are a “truly horrific event,” Albanese said Thursday morning at an event in rural Australia, adding that “our thoughts are with all those who will be concerned about their loved ones today.”
“We are liaising with local authorities as well as tour operators,” a government spokesperson said in a statement Thursday. “Australians in the affected area should follow the advice of local authorities. We stand ready to provide consular assistance.”
- 27 Aug 2026, 07:38:47 AM IST
Nepal flash floods LIVE: PM Modi speaks to Nepal's Balen Shah
Nepal flash floods LIVE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said he spoke to his Nepalese counterpart Balen Shah after a deadly flash flood swept through parts of Nepal, assuring him of ‘all possible humanitarian assistance’.
“Spoke to Prime Minister 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,” Modi said in a post on X, adding that India is coordinating ‘closely on rescue and relief efforts.’
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- 27 Aug 2026, 07:27:45 AM IST
Nepal flash floods LIVE: What caused the deadly flash floods in Nepal?
Nepal flash floods LIVE: The US Geological Survey said on Thursday that glacial collapse triggered seismic activity and caused "catastrophic" downstream impacts in Nepal and Tibet.
The agency said the seismic activity, which was initially believed to be an earthquake, "was instead a glacial collapse and debris flow" that "caused subsequent catastrophic impacts downstream".
Early reports had suggested that an earthquake might have triggered an avalanche, leading to severe flooding in Nepal. Nepal's foreign minister Shisir Khanal mentioned this possibility in a statement, according to local media outlets.
- 27 Aug 2026, 07:14:12 AM IST
Nepal flash floods LIVE: India sends 10 tonnes of relief material amid Nepal floods
Nepal flash floods LIVE: India has sent 10 tonnes of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) material, along with essential medicines, to Nepal as it deals with devastating floods.
In a post on X, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said India stood with Nepal and its people during this difficult time.
"Dispatched 10 tonnes of HADR assistance and essential medicines to support Nepal's response to the devastating floods. Our thoughts are with the bereaved families and all those affected. In face of this challenge, India stands with Nepal and its people," he said.
The Indian Air Force has deployed a C-130J aircraft to deliver relief supplies to Nepal. The 10 tonnes of material include emergency items such as temporary shelters, blankets, hygiene kits, solar lamps and medicines.
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- 27 Aug 2026, 07:07:22 AM IST
Nepal flash floods LIVE: US vows $500,000 in aid after ‘devastating’ Nepal floods
Nepal flash floods LIVE: The US government on Wednesday extended its condolences over the deadly floods in Nepal and promised to provide $500,000 in emergency assistance, the state department said.
"The United States extends its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in the devastating flash floods in the Rasuwa district of Nepal," the agency said, adding that Washington is deploying a disaster response advisor to the region while pledging to provide $500,000 to support rescue efforts.
- 27 Aug 2026, 07:02:28 AM IST
Nepal flash floods LIVE: Bihar on alert amid massive flooding in Nepal
Nepal flash floods LIVE: The authorities in Bihar placed several north-western districts on high alert on Wednesday after flash floods triggered by a glacial lake outburst in Tibet sent a surge down the Bhote Koshi river in Nepal, raising the prospect of a sudden rise of up to around three metres in the Gandak river downstream.
Chief minister Samrat Choudhary convened a high-level review at his official residence and directed officials to remain on high alert.
“A close watch is being kept on the possibility of a rise in water level in the Gandak in view of the floods in Nepal… If necessary, I will also visit Valmikinagar to assess the situation,” the chief minister told reporters.
(Inputs from Subhash Pathak and Sandeep Bhaskar)
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- 27 Aug 2026, 06:43:43 AM IST
Nepal flash floods LIVE: Death count in flash floods crosses 150
Nepal flash floods LIVE: At least 157 people were killed, while hundreds, including 133 Indians, remained missing on Thursday after a flash flood swept through communities along Nepal's Bhote Koshi River near the Tibet border.