At Least 31 Dead, Hundreds Missing After Devastating Flash Flood Hits Nepal-Tibet Border

At least 31 people have been killed, and hundreds remain missing—including nearly 300 foreign tourists—after a massive flash flood swept through the Nepal-Tibet border region on Wednesday.

Preliminary assessments suggest the torrent was triggered by an earthquake that unleashed a major avalanche into mountain river valleys, sending a wall of water and debris crashing through downstream communities.

Scale of the Disaster

The flash flood struck Rasuwa district, north of Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, before tearing through adjacent valleys and across the border into Chinese-controlled Tibet:

• Rising Death Toll: Nepalese police confirmed fatalities across multiple districts, including Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha, and Rasuwa. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported “major casualties” and submerged villages near the Gyirong border checkpoint in Tibet.
• Tourists Unaccounted For: The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) reports roughly 400 travellers are missing. This includes 291 foreign nationals—among them over 100 Indian pilgrims bound for Mount Kailash, 12 British citizens, 17 Malaysians, four South Africans, and tourists from the US, Australia, and the Netherlands.
• Infrastructure Damage and Stranded Workers: Floodwaters destroyed critical bridges, flattened multi-storey buildings, and damaged the Trishuli hydropower project. South Korea’s foreign ministry confirmed that eight of its nationals working at a nearby power plant are unreachable, while another 10 remain stranded, awaiting evacuation.

Massive Rescue Operation Underway

Nepal’s military has launched a large-scale emergency response, deploying 15 helicopters to locate survivors along the swollen Bhote Koshi, Trishuli, and Narayani rivers. Army personnel have rescued at least 88 people so far, with operations focused on reaching over 100 residents trapped in the isolated village of Mailung.

Emergency services warn that search efforts remain severely hampered by collapsed roads and ongoing mudslides, raising fears that the death toll could rise significantly in the coming hours.