Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera
· collected 2026-08-31 · by Sarah Shamim
Story summary
A catastrophic flash flood occurred on August 26, 2026, on the Nepal-Tibet border, causing widespread destruction and loss of life. The disaster was triggered by a collapsed glacier, which sent massive amounts of water and debris downstream, resulting in the deaths of at least 273 people and leaving over 1,300 missing. The floodwaters swept through several communities, including Syapru Besi and Timure in the mountainous district of Rasuwa, with many villages and infrastructure destroyed. Rescue teams were deployed to search for survivors, but their efforts were hindered by the remote location and challenging terrain.
The disaster also affected Tibet, where a mudslide hit the land border crossing at Gyirong Port, causing major casualties and disruptions to transportation and communication networks. Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered "all-out" efforts to search for those missing and to strengthen monitoring and early warning systems to prevent similar disasters in the future.
The Nepal Tourism Board reported that 25 Canadians were among those missing, and officials warned of a high risk of secondary collapses or landslides as rain continued in the affected area. The disaster has highlighted the issue of rapidly melting Himalayan ice and the need for better preparedness and emergency response measures in the region.
Written for “Nepal Tibet Flood Disaster” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 57 other(s) covering the same event.
People return to their flood-ravaged homes in Nepal
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People → return → Nepal
Rescue teams in Nepal continue to search for thousands of missing people, five days after devastating flash floods that have left the Himalayan nation grappling with a major humanitarian crisis.
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that → continue → crisis
Several hundred of those missing are believed to be trapped in tunnels swamped by debris from the floods, which started in Tibet and were triggered by a glacial collapse last week.
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which → miss → collapse
More than 900 people have died, and nearly 5,000 people are missing across Nepal and Tibet.
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people → die → Nepal
Here’s what we know about the latest rescue efforts to recover the people missing due to the floods.
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we → ’ → floods
What caused the Nepal-Tibet flash flood?
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What → cause → flood
A glacier collapse sent a catastrophic flood roaring through Tibet and parts of Nepal on August 26.
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flood → send → August
A glacial collapse refers to when a large mass of glacier ice detaches from its bed.
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mass → refer → bed
This sometimes involves millions of cubic metres of ice, rock and water, which can transform into a highly mobile ice-rich avalanche or debris flow.
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which → involve → avalanche
Scientists believe part of a glacier near the Langtang Lirung peak had collapsed.
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part → believe → peak
The glacier, roughly 5,200 metres high in the Himalayas, plunged about 1,200 metres and collected rock and debris before slamming into the Lende River.
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glacier → plunge → River
The resulting surge swept south through Nepal’s Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading districts.
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surge → result → districts
Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday that almost 21,000 security personnel were involved in the rescue operations, besides civilian workers and volunteers.
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personnel → write → workers
While Nepal had initially rejected foreign help in dealing with the crisis, it has in recent days agreed to allow Chinese and Indian experts in to help with rescue efforts.
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experts → reject → efforts
China has mobilised over 2,100 rescue workers and disbursed at least 220 million yuan ($33m) to support relief efforts, its state-run CCTV reported.
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CCTV → mobilise → efforts
Additionally, Beijing has been airdropping equipment and supplies to front-line rescuers.
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Beijing → airdrop → rescuers
Its soldiers are also using life-detection equipment to look for the missing.
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soldiers → use → missing
While details have not been revealed, such equipment typically includes thermal cameras and sound detectors to detect the presence of human life.
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equipment → reveal → life
Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday during a meeting with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov in Bishkek that China is searching for the Chinese and foreign nationals missing due to the floods and mudslides.
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China → say → floods
Xi added that Beijing is making efforts to relocate and resettle those affected, provide medical treatment for the injured and prevent secondary disasters.
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Beijing → add → disasters
India has flown in 18 army officers who are trained in tunnel rescue operations, along with six teams of forensic experts to help with DNA-based identification of people killed in the floods.
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who → fly → floods
It has also sent four tranches of humanitarian aid to Nepal, including portable gensets, food, water purification tablets, tents, blankets, water pumps and medicine.
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It → send → gensets
The Indian army is also supplying Bailey bridges — prefabricated bridges used in military operations — to Nepal to help the Himalayan country’s rescue workers reach areas that have been cut off because highways and bridges have been washed away.
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highways → supply → areas
International aid has also arrived from the United Nations, the Red Cross Federation, Australia, South Korea and the United States.
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aid → arrive → Nations
Why are Nepal’s tunnels emerging as a major focus of rescue operations?
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tunnels → emerge → operations
Among those missing are 933 workers who were stationed at a series of hydropower projects that line the rivers that swelled up amid the floods, according to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.
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that → miss → Authority
Some dams were washed away.
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dams → wash → ?
But many of the missing are believed to be trapped beneath mud and rock debris in about half a dozen hydropower project tunnels.
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many → miss → tunnels
“A large amount of debris has been deposited and that is posing us a big challenge to open the tunnels,” Raja Ram Basnet, the spokesperson for the Nepal army, told the Reuters news agency.
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Basnet → deposit → agency
“Our main focus is on opening the tunnels.”
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focus → open → tunnels
The Nepali government says key rescue efforts have focused on the Trishuli 3A and 3B hydropower projects.
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efforts → say → projects
On Saturday evening, rescue teams used drills to break through into the upper part of a mud-swamped tunnel and began pumping air as well as sending in a camera at Trishuli 3A in Nepal’s Rasuwa District.
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teams → use → District
Nearly 300 workers trapped in these tunnels have so far been rescued, including several Indian nationals.
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workers → trap → nationals
However, on Sunday evening, officials said that their latest efforts to track more of the missing had not yielded results so far.
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efforts → say → results
What’s the latest death toll and how many are missing?
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many → ’ → ?
Nepali authorities said on Monday that 903 people had died in the floods and 4,247 were missing.
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4,247 → say → floods
On the Chinese side, authorities said 16 people were killed in Tibet’s Gyirong County and 546 were missing.
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546 → say → County
In Tibet, 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries were unaccounted for, according to Chinese authorities.
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nationals → unaccounte → authorities
The difficult terrain and bad weather have forced rescue operations to a halt several times since Friday.
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terrain → force → Friday
On Sunday, overnight rain and rising river waters hampered rescue efforts at the tunnels, filling the excavation area with water before conditions eased.
“As the floodwaters have receded, the team has resumed efforts to locate the tunnel entrance using drilling machines, excavators, hydraulic cutters and other equipment,” a Nepal army statement said on Sunday.
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statement → rise → Sunday
…and 7 more, not listed.
