A glacier collapse excessive within the Himalayas on Wednesday triggered catastrophic flooding alongside the Nepal-Tibet border.
Revealed On 27 Aug 2026
At the least 359 folks have been confirmed dead and greater than 1,300 stay lacking throughout Nepal and China’s Tibet area after a Himalayan glacier collapse despatched a wall of water, mud and rock via border cities and valleys.
Rescue groups are trying to find survivors in terrain that’s onerous to entry at the very best of instances. At the least 19 bridges and about 40km (25 miles) of highway have been destroyed, additional hampering the search.
Nepal Police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle stated the demise toll is predicted to rise additional.
Satellite tv for pc imagery captured by Planet Labs earlier than and after the flood reveals how buildings and roads have been washed away.
The imagery additionally reveals massive elements of Syapru Besi village submerged in mud.
What occurred?
At about 8:40am native time (02:55 GMT) on Wednesday, a big part of glacier broke away excessive above the Lhende river in Tibet. The falling ice and rock dammed the river and, shortly afterwards, when the blockage gave manner, the surge tore via settlements in Nepal’s Rasuwa district, destroying houses, hydropower crops and border infrastructure.
The ensuing ice and rock avalanche struck the river about 20km (12 miles) northeast of the Rasuwagadhi border crossing.
Early reviews attributed the collapse to a magnitude 4.4 earthquake. However the USA Geological Survey later stated the seismic sign was brought on by the landslide itself, not an earthquake. The landslide packed sufficient pressure to register as a magnitude 5.2 seismic occasion.
The place did the floods hit?
A few of the worst injury was in Rasuwa district, on Nepal’s northern border with China. The surge travelled down the Lhende Khola (river) into the Bhotekoshi after which the Trishuli river, which rose by as a lot as 9 metres (30 toes) in half-hour, in line with Nepali officers.
Timure and Syapru Besi had been among the many settlements hit in Rasuwa. Additional downstream, the flooding reached elements of Nuwakot and Dhading. Our bodies have since been recovered a lot additional south, in Gorkha, Tanahun, Chitwan and the 2 Nawalparasi districts.
In Tibet, mud and particles struck Gyirong Port in Shigatse.
The Trishuli finally joins the Narayani, which flows into India’s Bihar state, the place it is named the Gandak.
