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Technology and Science26 August, 20263 min read

Nepal Floods Kill 469 in Rasuwagadhi, More Than 1,300 Missing Near China Border

This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.

Nepal-Tibet border floods kill hundreds and leave thousands missing across Nepal and Tibet. Rescuers race to reach hundreds of workers trapped in hydroelectric tunnels.

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Nepal Floods Kill 469 in Rasuwagadhi, More Than 1,300 Missing Near China Border
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343 outlets told this the same way.

Ice collapse triggers floods

On August 28, 2026, Anadolu Agency in Ankara reported that Nepali authorities said floodwaters that struck the Rasuwagadhi region and nearby areas near the Chinese border had killed 469 people, with more than 1,300 missing, as Nepali police issued a statement on Friday and the local Kathmandu Post reported it. The same report said Nepali officials explained that floodwaters destroyed dozens of bridges and caused substantial damage to roads, prompting the deployment of helicopters to participate in search and rescue operations. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said it had detected an earthquake before the floods, then revised its data to indicate that the seismic event, which registered magnitude 5.2, was actually caused by an ice collapse.

Experts at the Integrated Mountain Development International Centre (ICIMOD), based in Kathmandu, said the collapse of ice in mountainous areas led to a glacial outburst flood that, in turn, caused the flooding. In contrast, China’s official television CCTV reported three deaths and 558 people missing on the Tibetan side of the border, while the latest official toll indicated 359 killed and 910 others missing.

Tolls diverge across borders

By a fifth day of searching, 20Minutos said the death toll from the devastating flood on Wednesday in the Bhote Koshi basin had reached 750, while almost 3,000 people remained missing as rescue efforts were hampered by new landslides and rains. 20Minutos also said Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction Authority (NDRRMA) added 59 fatalities in its latest update, bringing the total number of victims in Nepal to 734, while China raised its toll to 16 deaths on the Tibetan side and continued to search for 546 missing in its territory. In a separate tally, ABC News said authorities reported at least 543 bodies recovered across the region and over 2,000 people missing as of Friday, with Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority confirming 579 reported dead in Nepal and five in China.

ABC News further reported that the flooding occurred in the northern Rasuwa district along the border with Tibet at around 8:40 a.m. local time Wednesday, and that the deadly wall of water caused destruction at least 62 miles downriver from the border in Nepal. The USGS details in ABC News said a 5.2-magnitude landslide was registered in Nepal on Wednesday, and that the seismic activity from the landslide was initially erroneously reported as a 4.4-magnitude earthquake.

Image from 20Minutos
Image: 20Minutos
Reporting for this section20MinutosABC

Search, rescue, and stakes

Rescue operations continued as Nepal and China searched for thousands of people missing, with arab Weather app reporting that Nepal’s authorities reported 734 dead and 2,426 missing while China logged 16 dead and 546 missing. The same arab Weather app account said Nepal’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology declared a yellow alert for heavy rainfall in the area affected by the flood, with precipitation expected to continue at least until Monday and further hampering rescue efforts. ABC News described the human toll and the scale of the response, saying at least 4,451 people had been injured and rescued and that 8,380 police personnel had been deployed to the region, according to the Nepal Police.

In testimony from the border area, Anjana Raja told ABC News that she saw the landslide coming toward their vehicle and said, "It stood like a serpent right there staring at us," while she also recalled warning her husband, "Leave the bus right away or we're gonna die," as the water and mud surged. ABC News also said the Nepal National Disaster Management Authority and Chinese government reported 584 people dead and over 2,400 people missing as intense search and rescue efforts continued.

Reporting for this sectionABC