A violent flood has devastated several towns in northern Nepal this Wednesday, near the border with Tibet, leaving dozens dead and hundreds missing. The images show the force of the water and mud advancing through the valleys, destroying buildings and infrastructure and dragging everything in its path.
🔴 At least 22 dead and nearly 400 tourists missing due to the severe flooding recorded in northern Nepal, near the border with Tibet https://t.co/shpEpLyjl5 pic.twitter.com/PViwVT9Hw1
— Europa Press (@europapress) August 26, 2026
The catastrophe has particularly struck the mountainous district of Rasuwa, where the towns of Syapru Besi and Timure are located. Homes, roads, bridges, and hydroelectric projects have been destroyed or severely damaged.
The figures continue to change as emergency teams manage to access the affected areas. Reuters has reported at least 95 bodies recovered and hundreds of people still missing, while search operations continue on both sides of the border.
Hundreds of tourists among the missing
The international dimension of the tragedy is explained by the presence of numerous travelers in this region of the Himalayas.
The tourism authorities of Nepal reported counting more than 400 tourists unaccounted for during the first hours of the emergency, more than 340 of them foreigners, according to the latest information from Reuters. Among the affected nationalities are citizens of India, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
South Korea has also reported the disappearance of eight of its citizens who were working on a hydroelectric project in the area.
The situation on the ground complicates the location of the missing. The destruction of roads and access, along with the high level of the rivers, is hindering the arrival of emergency teams to some of the hardest-hit points.
What caused the flood?
The exact origin of the catastrophe is still under investigation.
The initial investigations suggest that a huge mass of mud and rocks fell onto the Lhende River in the border area, subsequently causing the flooding. Authorities and experts are studying whether the landslide may have been related to a previously recorded earthquake of magnitude 4.4.
During the first hours, a sudden draining of a glacial lake had also been considered as a possible explanation. There is still no definitive conclusion about the exact chain of events that triggered the flood.
Alert for the risk of a second flood
The emergency is not over. Authorities are maintaining vigilance due to the risk of a new rise, due to the rains and the possibility that there is another blockage upstream.
In Nepal, preventive evacuations have been ordered in areas near the waterways, while security forces and the Army participate in rescue efforts.
The destruction also affects the country's energy system. Several hydroelectric facilities have been affected by the flood, leaving a significant part of Nepal's generation capacity out of service.
On the Tibetan side, Chinese authorities have also deployed emergency teams after the disaster reached Gyirong, one of the main land crossings between China and Nepal. Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered to intensify search and rescue operations.