Nepal Flash Floods: Over 1,000 Missing as Rescue Teams Race Against Time to Find Survivors

Kathmandu: Rescue operations intensified on Thursday following a catastrophic flash flood and mudslide along the rugged Himalayan border between Nepal and Tibet, leaving at least 165 people dead and more than 1,000 individuals unaccounted for.

The disaster, which struck on Wednesday morning, sent a massive, sudden wall of water, mud, and debris crashing through the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river valleys.

Official tallies indicate that over 1,000 people remain missing, with the vast majority being domestic and foreign travelers caught in the remote border regions.

Nepal’s disaster agency reported that 823 people remain out of contact, a figure that includes at least 579 tourists and local travelers. Across the border, authorities in Tibet reported a further 558 people missing, alongside three confirmed fatalities in Gyirong County. Officials note that it remains uncertain whether the cross-border tallies overlap or contain duplicate counts due to severely disrupted communication lines.

Many of those missing were domestic and international tourists undertaking high-altitude pilgrimages to Kailash Mansarovar.

More than 5,000 Nepalese army and police personnel have been mobilized in the ongoing search operations. Security forces successfully retrieved 125 people on Thursday, including 20 foreign nationals.

Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah traveled by road to Bidur in Nuwakot—one of the worst-affected districts—to personally assess the devastation and coordinate emergency response efforts.

Meanwhile, international aid is beginning to reach the region. India said it has sent 10 tonnes of relief material to Nepal, including temporary tents, blankets, hygiene kits, solar lamps and medicines. India has also sent an aircraft to Nepal carrying rescue and relief supplies. The US State Department announced the deployment of a specialized disaster response adviser alongside $500,000 in immediate financial assistance.

Initial local reports suggested a tectonic earthquake had struck the region. However, an updated assessment from the US Geological Survey (USGS) clarified that no earthquake occurred. Analysis of seismic waves confirmed the event was "instead a glacial collapse and debris flow" that caused catastrophic impacts downstream.

Compounding the crisis, ICIMOD has reported that they are also assessing whether debris temporarily blocked the river at a narrow section, forming a landslide dam. Such blockage can create secondary hazard if impounded water is suddenly released. Authorities and scientists are continuing to evaluate the size, location and stability of any potential blockage.