Nepal-Tibet floods: Police say 270 bodies found; nearly 1,400 missing

By Urooba Jamal

Published On 27 Aug 202627 Aug 2026

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• Nepal police say 270 bodies have been found after glacial floods hit the Himalayan nation and the bordering autonomous region of Tibet.
• Rescue teams are searching for survivors along the Nepal-China border after the catastrophic torrent of floods and mud swept through several communities on Wednesday.
• Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang is visiting the affected areas in Tibet, state media said. More than 500 people are missing in Tibet, including hundreds of foreigners.
• Countries and organisations around the world are ⁠sending cash, relief supplies and other assistance to Nepal as it responds to the ⁠aftermath of the floods.

• 8m ago

  (09:02 GMT)

  

  Death toll climbs to 270: Nepali police

  270 bodies have now been found in flood-affected areas, say Nepali police.
• 11m ago

  (09:00 GMT)

  NGO to address specific needs of women, girls in disaster response

  CARE Nepal, an international aid organisation, is mobilising emergency relief, including shelter, hygiene, and dignity kits for affected families, its director said in a statement.

  “The flooding has left affected families without homes, possessions, and livelihoods, and has raised concerns about the spread of waterborne diseases due to damaged water and sanitation infrastructure,” said Mona Sherpa, CARE Nepal’s country director.

  Sherpa added that a gender analysis will be conducted to ensure the organisation’s response is “informed by the specific needs and risks facing women and girls”.

  “Relief efforts will prioritise those most in need, particularly women, girls, older people, and people with disabilities, who are often hit hardest in the aftermath of a disaster like this,” she said.

  

  Dozens were killed after a Himalayan glacier collapse triggered catastrophic floods along the Nepal-Tibet border [Courtesy of CARE Nepal]
• 21m ago

  (08:50 GMT)

  ‘Everything has been swept away’

  By Samik Kharel

  Reporting from Kathmandu, Nepal

  It was a normal school day on Wednesday at Trishuli Secondary School in Nepal’s Nuwakot district when Gyan Deep Sapkota, a grade 11 student, suddenly heard his teachers yelling.

  Bidur, the city where the school is based, lies on the banks of the Trishuli River. A flash flood was barrelling down from upstream, where the river is known as the Bhotekoshi.

  “Our teachers were shouting for us to leave,” he recalled, speaking to Al Jazeera on the phone. “Some of us took a small old bridge and crossed to a safer area, while most of the students took up to the hills. Some of the students also had panic attacks and fainted.

  “It’s still giving me goosebumps and anxiety.”

  Read the full story here.

  

  People walk past damage in the aftermath of flash floods in Devighat in the Nuwakot district of Nepal [Niranjan

• 27m ago

  (08:43 GMT)

  

  Chinese premier arrives at Tibet mudslide area

  Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang has arrived at the Tibet mudslide area, state media report.

  “With the support of General Secretary Xi Jinping… Premier Li Qiang, leading comrades from relevant departments, arrived at the disaster-stricken area of Gyirong Town, Gyirong County, Tibet to guide emergency rescue and relief work, and to visit rescue workers and affected people,” state news agency Xinhua reports.
• 41m ago

  (08:30 GMT)

  What is the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra?

  More than 100 of nearly 1,400 people missing after the floods were on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, a sacred site in the Himalayas.

  Mount Kailash is in southwestern Tibet, near China’s borders with Nepal and India. It rises more than 6,400 metres (21,000 feet) above sea level and lies close to Lake Manasarovar. Both have long been part of Sanskrit religious and literary traditions.

  Mount Kailash holds sacred significance for Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and the Tibetan Bon tradition. Each associates the mountain with different beliefs and sacred histories.

  According to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, the mountain is considered the home of Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction, and Parvati, a Hindu goddess associated with marriage, fertility and motherhood.

  Followers of the Tibetan Bon tradition regard it as a seat of spiritual power and associate the region with Tonpa Shenrab, the tradition’s founder.

  

  Pilgrims hike around the snow-capped Kangrinboqe Mountain, known as Mount Kailash, in Purang county of the Tibet Autonomous Region [File: China Photos/Getty Images]
• 51m ago

  (08:20 GMT)

  Desperate families search for missing at Kathmandu hospital

  Anxious relatives have crowded the corridors of Bir Hospital in Kathmandu to search for missing family members.

  “My elder brother Ram Sharan Rasaili is among those missing in Rasuwa. That’s why we are out searching for him,” Subash Khatani told AFP news agency.

  Chitra Bahadur Nepali is looking for his nephew Yubraj Sewak, a driver who had been travelling towards the worst-affected Rasuwa district before contact was lost.

  “My nephew was on his way to Rasuwa and was in contact with my sister until about 8am yesterday,” he said while showing his nephew’s photo on his phone.

  “We have not heard from him since the flood. His name is not on any of the lists we have seen, and another member of our family is also missing.”
• 1h ago

  (08:10 GMT)

  China says almost 100 of its citizens missing in Nepal

  Nearly 100 Chinese nationals are missing in Nepal after huge flooding in the border region, Beijing’s Foreign Ministry says.

  “In the disaster-stricken area on the Nepalese side, the number of Chinese citizens missing is nearly 100,” ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters, adding that China’s embassy in Nepal was “seeking further verification” from Nepalese authorities.

  

  1:56

  At least 160 killed, hundreds missing, as flash flood hits Nepal and Tibet