Nepal mudslide kills 22, hundreds missing after avalanche triggers flash floods
At least 22 people were killed and 384 tourists reported missing after a glacial avalanche in Nepal on Aug 26 triggered flash floods that destroyed villages and infrastructure along the Bhotekoshi River.
Source: The Star Malaysia · August 26, 2026 at 8:31 PM · AI-assisted report
Single-sourceNUWAKOT DISTRICT, BHOTEKOSHI RIVER, RASUWA DISTRICT, KATHMANDU, GYIRONG, TIBET, HIMALAYAN REGION, 27 AUGUST 2026 —
At least 22 people were killed and 384 tourists reported missing after a glacial avalanche in Nepal on Aug 26 triggered flash floods that destroyed villages and infrastructure along the Bhotekoshi River.
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Officials said the floods, which struck around 9am local time, buried dozens of buildings and vehicles in Nuwakot district under metres of mud. Residents in several districts were warned to stay away from river banks as water levels remained dangerously high.
“We have asked both India and China to help us with the rescue efforts,” said Sasmit Pokharel, a government spokesperson.
Most of the missing were believed to be Indian and diaspora pilgrims heading to Mount Kailash via Rasuwa district, according to Nepal’s tourism board. South Korea confirmed its workers on a hydropower project were among those unaccounted for. Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry said its embassy had reports of 11 Malaysians missing in Rasuwa.
China launched large-scale searches in the Gyirong border area where President Xi Jinping ordered stepped-up efforts for missing people. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged all possible assistance, adding India’s teams were coordinating closely with Nepal on rescue and relief.
The same regions were hit by similar floods last August when a glacial lake outburst in Tibet sent water surging into Nepal, killing nine and damaging a key bridge. Climate experts at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development said Wednesday’s disaster likely stemmed from an ice-rock avalanche that blocked the Lhende Khola River—a tributary of the Bhotekoshi—before releasing a sudden surge downstream.
“The Lhende Khola has flooded twice in fourteen months,” said Saswata Sanyal, a disaster risk reduction specialist. “In a warming Himalaya, early warning is the first line of adaptation.”
The Hindu Kush Himalaya region is warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, accelerating glacier melt and increasing the frequency of extreme weather events. Researchers in Kathmandu found glaciers in the region are losing ice at more than double the rate since 2000, driven largely by rising temperatures.