Nepal-Tibet floods: What happened, what caused them and who is missing?

On Wednesday, part of a glacier collapsed precocious successful the Himalayas, triggering catastrophic flooding on the Nepal-Tibet border.

At slightest 160 radical person been confirmed dead, portion astir 1,500 radical are missing crossed Nepal and China’s Tibet, including astatine slightest 800 overseas nationals.

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In Nepal, 826 radical are missing, including astir 600 foreigners, according to constabulary and tourism officials. Across the border, Chinese authorities media reported that 558 radical were missing successful Tibet’s Gyirong County, including 260 overseas nationals.

Here is what we cognize astir what triggered the disaster, wherever the floods struck, and the risks facing the rapidly warming Himalayan region.

What happened successful Nepal?

At astir 8:40am section clip (02:55 GMT) connected Wednesday, flash floods and mudslides swept done mountainous areas on the Nepal-Tibet border, sidesplitting astatine slightest 157 radical successful Nepal and 3 successful Tibet and leaving astir 1,500 radical missing crossed the region.

A monolithic flood of water, mud and rocks swept done the Lhende Khola stream valley, engulfing villages and destroying homes and captious infrastructure. At slightest 19 bridges and astir 40km (25 miles) of roads were washed away.

Nepalese soldiers and rescue teams person been deployed with helicopters, drones and hunt dogs, but precocious stream levels, damaged roads and mud person analyzable efforts to scope immoderate of the worst-hit areas.

Across the borderline successful Tibet, heavy sediment has besides delayed Chinese rescue teams trying to scope the borderline zone.

What triggered the mudslide and flash floods?

Officials were caught off-guard by the floods connected Wednesday due to the fact that it was not raining, according to section quality editors.

The catastrophe appears to person begun precocious successful the Himalayas, wherever portion of a glacier collapsed, triggering a concatenation of events that caused a almighty surge of h2o and debris downstream.

Satellite imagery showed that a important conception of the little extremity of the glacier broke distant astatine an elevation of astir 5,200 metres (17,000 feet), plunging astir 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) onto the vale floor, gathering stone and sediment arsenic it fell.

The resulting ice-rock avalanche struck the Lhende River successful Tibet, astir 20km (12 miles) northeast of the Nepal-China borderline crossing. Debris temporarily blocked the stream earlier the earthy dam gave way, releasing a almighty flood downstream.

Early reports suggested that a magnitude 4.4 earthquake had triggered the collapse. However, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) aboriginal revised its assessment, saying that the seismic awesome had been generated by the landslide itself alternatively than an earthquake.

The landslide yet registered arsenic a magnitude 5.2 seismic event.

A drone presumption shows mud covering properties pursuing the flash flood, successful the Nuwakot district, Nepal, August 26, 2026 [Reuters]

Where precisely did the floods happen?

The catastrophe struck the mountainous Nepal-Tibet borderline region, with immoderate of the worst harm successful Nepal’s Rasuwa district, instantly southbound of the Chinese border.

The archetypal surge entered the Lhende Khola, which feeds into the Bhote Koshi and past the Trishuli River, carrying floodwaters southbound done Nepal. Water levels successful the Trishuli reportedly roseate by arsenic overmuch arsenic 9 metres (27 ft) successful conscionable 30 minutes.

In the Rasuwa district, Timure and Syapru Besi were among the affected settlements. Further downstream, flooding reached parts of Nepal’s Nuwakot and Dhading districts, damaging homes, roads and different infrastructure.

Across the borderline successful Tibet, mud and debris deed Gyirong Port successful the Shigatse region.

The Trishuli yet joins the Narayani River, which crosses into India’s Bihar state, wherever it is known arsenic the Gandak River.

What bash we cognize astir the victims?

At slightest 160 radical person been confirmed dead, portion astir 1,500 stay missing connected some sides of the Nepal-Tibet border.

• Nepal: Police person recovered astatine slightest 157 bodies.
• Tibet: Authorities person reported astatine slightest 3 deaths successful Gyirong County, wherever 558 radical are missing, including 260 overseas nationals.

“My brother-in-law had a liquor store here. I got a telephone from him this morning, and they were crying and said their full location had been swept away,” Raju Bhadel, a section businessman successful Nepal, told Al Jazeera.

Manoj Mishra, a teacher, described seeing vehicles and radical being carried distant by the floodwaters successful Nepal. “I saw astir 9 trucks being swept distant by the floods, including people. It’s a heartbreaking incident,” helium said.

Damaged houses basal precariously adjacent the swollen, debris-choked banks of the Trishuli River aft flash floods successful Nepal’s Nuwakot territory connected Wednesday [Niranjan Shrestha/AP]

Who is missing?

Nearly 1,500 radical are missing crossed Nepal and Tibet, including astatine slightest 800 overseas nationals.

In Nepal, 826 radical were reported missing, including astir 600 foreigners, according to constabulary and tourism officials. The missing tourists travel from much than 2 twelve countries.

Among those reported missing successful Nepal are:

• India: 177
• United States: 63
• Australia: 34
• United Kingdom: 33
• Canada: 25

Authorities person not yet provided a implicit nationality breakdown for each the missing overseas nationals.

Across the border, Chinese authorities broadcaster CCTV said 558 radical were missing successful Tibet’s Gyirong County, including 260 overseas nationals.

Many of those caught up successful the catastrophe were pilgrims travelling towards Kailash Mansarovar successful Tibet. Tourism officials are moving to relationship for groups that had been travelling done the portion erstwhile the floods struck.

The injured and rescued

At slightest 65 radical were being treated for injuries successful section hospitals and successful Kathmandu.

More than 5,000 Nepalese service and constabulary unit person been mobilised for the rescue operation, portion helicopters are searching for survivors and delivering exigency supplies to communities chopped disconnected by damaged roads and flooding.

Survivors from severely affected areas person besides been evacuated by subject helicopter, including immoderate taken to hospitals successful Kathmandu.

How are planetary organisations and leaders responding to the crisis?

Countries and planetary organisations person offered exigency assistance, backing and method enactment arsenic rescue operations proceed successful Nepal and Tibet.

Humanitarian and fiscal aid

India has sent a rescue craft carrying astir 10 tonnes of exigency supplies to Nepal, including impermanent shelters, blankets, hygiene kits, star lamps and medicines.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah and pledged India’s support.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has released 1 cardinal Swiss francs ($1.2m) successful exigency backing to enactment the Nepal Red Cross Society’s alleviation operations and harm assessments.

International coordination and outer support

The United Nations has deployed unit successful Nepal to enactment government-led alleviation efforts, portion its bureau successful China has said it is acceptable to assistance rescue operations successful Tibet.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his condolences to those affected and said the organisation stood successful solidarity with communities deed by the disaster.

The European Union has activated its Copernicus Emergency Management Service, which uses outer imagery to representation catastrophe zones and supply accusation that tin assistance authorities measure harm and coordinate rescue operations.

Search-and-rescue efforts

South Korea has established a authorities task unit aft respective South Korean nationals moving astatine a hydropower task were reported missing. Seoul said it planned to nonstop a rapid-response squad involving government, occurrence and constabulary unit to Nepal to assistance with the search.

The United States said it was sending a catastrophe effect advisor and providing $500,000 successful assistance.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada was intimately pursuing the situation, describing the floods arsenic “absolutely devastating”.

On the Chinese side, President Xi Jinping ordered an “all-out” search-and-rescue cognition for radical missing successful Tibet and called for efforts to forestall further disasters.

What relation did clime alteration play successful this disaster?

Scientists are inactive investigating what triggered the glacier collapse, and it is excessively aboriginal to find however overmuch clime alteration contributed to this circumstantial event.

However, the catastrophe comes against a backdrop of accelerated warming and glacial nonaccomplishment crossed the Himalayas. Glaciers crossed the Hindu Kush Himalaya upland scope – which spans Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan – mislaid crystal 65 percent faster betwixt 2011 and 2020 than during the erstwhile decade. Nepal’s glaciers person mislaid adjacent to one-third of their crystal measurement successful astir 3 decades.

As glaciers retreat, upland slopes tin go progressively unstable, and meltwater tin accumulate successful oregon astir glaciers, expanding the imaginable for abrupt floods.

Satellite observations showed unusually lukewarm conditions astir the affected glacier earlier the collapse, with snowfall screen diminishing considerably and exposing much bare ice.

Researchers are investigating whether melting contributed to the glacier’s instability, but a nonstop nexus betwixt clime alteration and this week’s illness has not been established.

What is the concern now?

More than 5,000 Nepalese service and constabulary unit are searching for survivors and recovering bodies, portion helicopters are delivering tents, nutrient and different exigency supplies to communities chopped disconnected by the floods.

Officials person warned that the decease toll is apt to emergence arsenic rescuers scope areas that stay inaccessible due to the fact that of damaged roads, precocious h2o levels and heavy layers of mud.

In Tibet, Chinese authorities are besides monitoring a still-dammed water upstream from the catastrophe portion successful Gyirong that could complicate rescue efforts and airs a further flood risk.