{"id":136256,"date":"2026-08-27T13:15:06","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T13:15:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/?p=136256"},"modified":"2026-08-27T13:15:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T13:15:11","slug":"273-dead-flash-floods-hit-the-nepal-tibet-border-wiping-out-entire-villages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/273-dead-flash-floods-hit-the-nepal-tibet-border-wiping-out-entire-villages\/","title":{"rendered":"273 Dead.. Flash Floods Hit the Nepal-Tibet Border, Wiping Out Entire Villages"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Disaster on Both Sides of the Border, With Death Toll Expected to Rise<\/h2>\n

Devastating floods that swept through areas along the border between Nepal and China\u2019s Tibet region have killed at least 273 people, while hundreds remain missing, including foreign tourists of various nationalities, in a disaster that has caused widespread destruction across the affected areas.<\/p>\n

Chinese state media reported on Thursday that 558 people were missing following floods and mudslides that struck Gyirong County in Tibet. China Central Television (CCTV) reported that 260 of those missing were foreigners, while the death toll on the Chinese side stood at three.<\/p>\n

On the other side of the border, Nepalese police said Thursday that they had recovered 270 bodies after a massive flash flood swept through border areas between Nepal and the Chinese Tibet region along the Himalayan mountain range. This brought the combined death toll on both sides of the border to at least 273.<\/p>\n

The number of people missing in Nepal also rose to 826 following the massive flooding in the Himalayan region, including around 600 foreigners, according to authorities. This brought the total number of people reported missing in Nepal and China to 1,384, including more than 860 foreign nationals of various nationalities.<\/p>\n

Flash Floods Sweep Away Buildings and Vehicles<\/h2>\n

Chinese state media initially reported a landslide on the Tibetan side near the Gyirong border crossing, located at an elevation of approximately 1,800 meters, saying that three people had been killed and 265 were missing before the number of missing people later rose to 558.<\/p>\n

Following the disaster on the Chinese side, floodwaters rushed toward the Trishuli River valley in Nuwakot district, north of Nepal\u2019s capital Kathmandu, and also swept through the Bhote Koshi River valley east of the capital.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Geological Survey said the floods were caused by a massive glacial collapse that generated tremors equivalent to a magnitude-5.2 earthquake and also triggered landslides.<\/p>\n

Surveillance footage verified by Agence France-Presse showed a large multi-story building as people attempted to flee before floodwaters suddenly swept over the area. In another recording, a massive tsunami-like wave was seen surging toward a parking area overlooking a river, violently carrying away buses and buildings.<\/p>\n

Villages and Commercial Areas Disappear Under Water<\/h2>\n

Nepalese security forces continued evacuating families from threatened areas, while rescue teams carried out intensive search operations amid mud and debris after muddy floodwaters inundated the lower floors of several multi-story buildings.<\/p>\n

David Fisher, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies representative in Nepal, said villages and commercial areas had been \u201cwiped off the map,\u201d while announcing the dispatch of emergency supplies to the affected areas.<\/p>\n

According to Nepal\u2019s Ministry of Tourism, 403 tourists were initially reported missing, including 341 foreigners, before authorities later raised the overall number of missing people to 826, including around 600 foreigners.<\/p>\n

The missing-person lists included 142 Indian nationals, as well as citizens of Australia, Britain, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea, and the United States. Australia reported 34 of its citizens missing, while Japan reported five missing and South Korea reported nine of its nationals missing.<\/p>\n

A tourism company also told AFP that 47 people, including two children, remained missing in Nepal. Sanket Pandey, managing director of Himalayan Glacier, said the group included 15 Australians, 10 Canadians, nine Nepalese, eight Americans, two Britons, two Singaporeans, and one person holding both Russian and American citizenship.<\/p>\n

Warnings of Further Flood Waves<\/h2>\n

Estimates differed regarding the immediate cause of the disaster. Nepalese Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal said an earthquake may have triggered a landslide that blocked the course of a river, before the accumulated mass collapsed and sent a powerful surge of water downstream.<\/p>\n

By contrast, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority suggested that a glacial-rock collapse along the Nepal-China border may have caused the flooding. Satellite data from Planet Labs indicated that snow and rocks had shifted along the border, possibly providing the immediate trigger for the disaster.<\/p>\n

Experts warned that continued blockage of a river could lead to additional waves of flooding, while the Nepalese army continued rescue and aerial evacuation operations.<\/p>\n

Authorities urged residents living along the river to evacuate their homes as search operations for the missing continued, amid fears that the death toll could rise and the scale of the disaster\u2019s damage could expand.<\/p>\n

United News Network \u2013 UNN Arabic<\/strong><\/p>\n

An independent media platform providing reliable news and objective analysis, seeking to promote peace and cultural dialogue around the world, convey the truth, and build bridges of understanding among peoples.<\/p>\n

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UNN Arabic \u2013 un-news.org<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Author:<\/strong> Consultant Faisal Al-Mutairi
Publication Date:<\/strong> August 27, 2026
Last Updated:<\/strong> August 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Disaster on Both Sides of the Border, With Death Toll Expected to Rise Devastating floods that swept through areas along the border between Nepal and China\u2019s Tibet region have killed at least 273 people, while hundreds remain missing, including foreign tourists of various nationalities, in a disaster that has caused widespread destruction across the affected […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"tmauthors":[74],"class_list":{"0":"post-136256","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-breaking-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136256"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136256\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":136257,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136256\/revisions\/136257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136256"},{"taxonomy":"tmauthors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tmauthors?post=136256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}