Severe flooding hits Nepal. 17 dead, more than 400 missing (photo)

Nepal: At least 17 people have died and more than 400 are missing after heavy rains hit the country, Nepal News reported.

The disaster, which hit the Rasuwa district bordering China, has left 17 dead and more than 400 missing. According to the Nepal Tourism Board, 384 tourists and trekkers in the flood-hit areas have been reported missing. Of these, 291 are foreigners and 93 are Nepalese.

The foreigners include 105 Indian nationals. Citizens from Australia, the Netherlands, the United States, Malaysia, Russia, the United Kingdom and South Africa are also missing. The list was compiled based on information from 10 tour operators, and the Tourism Board noted that it was preliminary and that some tourists may not have been able to contact their relatives due to communication network outages.

"Their whereabouts are being determined together with tour operators, guides, local authorities and security forces," the report said.

The flooding began on the morning of August 26 on the Bhote Koshi River. The powerful flow of water from Tibet first reached the settlements of Timure and Syabru-Besi, and then Nuwakot and Dhading districts. The water swept away houses, cars, roads and bridges.

The official cause of the disaster has not yet been confirmed. Nepal's Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal suggested that a landslide following the earthquake may have blocked the riverbed. The US Geological Survey also recorded a 4.4 magnitude earthquake in the region at 8:37 a.m. local time on the same day.

Experts from the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development believe that a rock and ice avalanche may have blocked the Lhende River, which subsequently caused a large volume of water to flow out suddenly. The assumption that a glacial lake burst is also being investigated.

Communication with 26 police officers serving in Timure, Syabru-Besi, Maylung and Rasuvagadhi during the flood was lost.

"In addition, the whereabouts of more than 60 engineers and workers working on the 20-megawatt Langtang-Khola hydroelectric power plant under construction are unknown. They were busy concreting a tunnel when the water came in," the report said.

The natural disaster damaged about 430 megawatts of Nepal's electricity generation capacity. According to Reuters, "it accounts for more than 12 percent of the country's total hydropower capacity."

High water levels and damaged roads are hampering rescue efforts. The army, police, helicopters and drones have been involved in the search. Residents living along the riverbanks are being evacuated to higher ground and safer places.

The Nepalese government has declared the affected areas a disaster relief zone for three months. It has been decided to provide free medical treatment to the victims, provide temporary shelter to those left homeless and provide financial assistance to the families of the deceased.

The flood also damaged the border port of Girong in China's Tibet region, where roads, electricity and communication networks have been cut off. Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered search and rescue efforts to be stepped up.

In 2025, nine people were killed and 24 others were missing after a flash flood on the Bhote Koshi River washed away the Friendship Bridge connecting Nepal and China. It was later determined that the cause of the flood was the rupture of a lake formed on a glacier in Tibet.