Flash Flood At Nepal-Tibet Border Kills At Least 160: Ice Rock Avalanche From Glacier Blocked Lhende Khola River Then Burst. Wall Of Mud Engulfs Buildings On Chinese Side. Gyirong County Reports 265 Missing. Nuwakot District Hardest Hit. Missing Include 142 Indians Plus Nationals From Australia UK US Malaysia South Korea Netherlands Portugal South Africa
According to Al Jazeera, BBC and multiple international outlets, at least 160 people have been killed and hundreds more are missing after catastrophic flash flooding swept through communities on the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. Nepal police confirmed recovery of 157 bodies by Wednesday night and continued search operations.
The disaster was triggered when an ice rock avalanche from a glacier on the Nepal side blocked the Lhende Khola river; a tributary of the Bhotekoshi, which then released a sudden surge downstream. “The Lhende Khola has flooded twice in 14 months, this time triggered by an ice rock avalanche from a glacier on the Nepal side that blocked the river and released a sudden surge downstream,” said Saswata Sanyal, a disaster risk reduction specialist, who noted the importance of early warnings in “a warming Himalaya.”
Nepal’s tourism ministry said 403 tourists; 341 of them foreigners were unaccounted for. The missing foreigners included 142 Indians and nationals from Australia, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea and the United States. Across the border in Tibet, China’s Gyirong County reported a mudslide hitting its border crossing with 3 confirmed dead and 265 missing. President Xi Jinping urged “all-out” efforts to find the missing. IFRC head for Nepal David Fisher said “entire villages and market areas have been wiped out.”
The Himalaya is warming. The glaciers are unstable. The warning systems were not there. Check out our previous coverage of climate and natural disasters on The Trusted Times.
