KATHMANDU, Nepal | At least 157 people have died in Nepal and hundreds remain missing after a massive flash flood swept through communities near the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday, destroying homes, roads, bridges and hydropower facilities in one of the Himalayan region’s worst recent disasters.
Nepal Police said 157 bodies had been recovered from several districts, while 403 people, including 341 foreign nationals, were reported missing. China separately reported three deaths and 265 missing people in Gyirong County on the Tibetan side of the border, bringing the confirmed death toll on both sides to at least 160.
The hardest-hit areas in Nepal include Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading, where floodwaters and huge amounts of mud and rock swept away settlements and damaged key infrastructure. The Nepal Army has deployed helicopters and rescue teams, but operations have been hampered by destroyed roads, debris and dangerous water levels that have prevented helicopters from landing in some areas.
Many of those missing are foreign travelers and pilgrims. Authorities have reported missing nationals from India, the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada, South Korea and several other countries. South Korea also said eight of its citizens working at a hydropower project were missing.
Initial reports suggested that a 4.4-magnitude earthquake may have triggered the disaster. However, the U.S. Geological Survey later said further analysis indicated that the seismic signal was generated by a landslide rather than an earthquake. Experts believe an ice-and-rock avalanche or glacier collapse may have sent a sudden surge of water and debris into the Lhende Khola, which feeds the Bhote Koshi River.
The disaster is particularly significant because the same cross-border river system suffered another deadly flood in July 2025, when a glacial lake in Tibet drained suddenly and sent floodwaters into Nepal. That disaster killed at least nine people and destroyed the Friendship Bridge linking Nepal and China.
The latest catastrophe has renewed concerns about the growing risk of glacial floods in the warming Himalayas. A 2020 assessment by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development and the UN Development Programme identified 47 potentially dangerous glacial lakes across the Koshi, Gandaki and Karnali river basins in Nepal, Tibet and India.
Rescue and recovery operations are continuing, while authorities on both sides of the border work to locate survivors and determine the full extent of the devastation. Officials have warned that the death toll could rise as rescuers reach areas that remain isolated.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
