27 August,2026 01:47 PM IST | Kathmandu | mid-day online correspondent
An aerial view shows houses lying deluged in sludge after flash floods at Devighat, Bidur Municipality in Nepal`s Nuwakot district on Thursday. PIC/AFP
Catastrophic flooding and landslides along the Nepal-Tibet border have killed at least 180 people and left hundreds missing, after torrents of water and debris swept through areas on both sides of the border.
The disaster has prompted India to send humanitarian assistance to neighbouring Nepal, even as Indian citizens remain among those missing in the floods.
Here's what we know so far:
The exact sequence of events remains unclear, but torrents of water and debris crashed downstream on both sides of the border on Wednesday morning.
Surveillance video from the Chinese side showed a wall of mud and water crashing over a building as terrified people ran away.
In Nepal, a surge of water hit villages and towns along the path of the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers.
The disaster was initially described as a flood on the Nepali side and a mudslide by Chinese authorities.
At least 180 killed, hundreds missing
At least 180 people have been reported dead - 177 in Nepal and three in Tibet.
Chinese authorities said the disaster caused "major casualties" and reported another 558 missing, including 260 foreigners.
On the Nepali side, authorities said on Thursday that 468 tourists, 393 of them foreigners, were unaccounted for.
The missing include Indians and others from Ukraine, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, South Africa and elsewhere.
Australia said 34 of its citizens were missing in Nepal.
Another 93 Nepali citizens have also been reported missing.
Some 77 pilgrims from across the world were at the Nepal-China border immigration office when the flood hit on Wednesday, popular Indian spiritual leader Sadhguru said.
Aid and assistance began arriving after the scale of the disaster became clear.
India has sent an initial 10 tonnes of humanitarian assistance.
The United States has pledged USD 500,000 in emergency assistance, while the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies released USD 1.4 million.
"The priority now is to reach affected communities and get assistance to people who have lost their homes, suffered injuries or have been cut off," its Nepal head David Fisher said.
The European Union said it had activated its Copernicus satellite surveillance system to support recovery efforts and was ready to provide more assistance. The World Health Organization said it had dispatched emergency medical supplies.
The explanation for the disaster has evolved since it struck, but the calamity now appears linked to a collapsing glacier.
Within hours of the flooding, Nepal's Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal said an earthquake likely triggered a landslide, which in turn blocked a river and sent water gushing downstream.
China also reported a landslide, saying a border hub between Tibet and Nepal had been hit by a surge of debris.
Nepal's Foreign Minister's statement aligned with a US Geological Survey report of a quake in Tibet that was north of the disaster zone.
However, the USGS subsequently updated its conclusion, saying the seismic activity initially reported as a quake "was instead a glacial collapse and debris flow" that "caused subsequent catastrophic impacts downstream".
"Additional analysis of nearby seismic stations, long period seismic waves, and satellite imagery led to the determination that the seismic event was instead a glacial collapse and debris flow, and that no earthquake had occurred."
(With AFP inputs)
