Nepal flash floods kill at least 157, nearly 400 missing, including foreigners: Report

At least 157 people have been killed and nearly 400 remain missing after devastating flash floods struck Nepals Bhotekoshi river on Wednesday with foreign nationals and security personnel among those unaccounted for The Kathmandu Post reportedThe midmorning flash flood wreaked havoc across three districts sweeping away people homes vehicles and critical infrastructure in one of Nepals deadliest disasters in recent years According to CNN citing the Nepalese police post on X at least 157 people have died in the devastating flash floods pictwittercomiyQERlaMxOmdash Nepal Police NepalPoliceHQ August 26 2026The flood was caused after an avalanche blocked the flow of the Lhende tributary of the Bhotekoshi and struck Timure near Nepals border with China at Rasuwagadhi The water then surged downstream towards Syaphrubesi and other settlements The Kathmandu Post reportedWith no rainfall reported in the area residents had no warning before the flood struck A statement from Nepals Prime Ministers Office said hundreds of people including 391 foreigners and 44 security personnel have gone missing The Kathmandu Post reportedThe floods also caused extensive damage to infrastructure Nine hydropower projects and nine branches of commercial banks were destroyed while 19 motorable bridges and around 40 kilometres of highway were swept away according to a preliminary assessment cited by The Kathmandu PostMeanwhile India has begun mobilising humanitarian assistance for Nepal amid the ongoing relief efforts External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said Indias humanitarian assistance and disaster relief HADR and medical assistance had reached KathmanduJaishankar in a post on X said Indias HADR and medical assistance has reached Kathmandu More assistance is being mobilised to support relief effortsIndiarsquos HADR and medical assistance has reached KathmanduMore assistance is being mobilised to support relief efforts pictwittercomdN7XZ5jJUsmdash Dr S Jaishankar DrSJaishankar August 26 2026According to an earlier X post by EAM Jaishankar India has dispatched 10 tonnes of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief HADR along with essential medicines to support NepalThe C130J deployed by the Indian Air Force for the relief efforts is carrying 10 tonnes of relief material to Nepal This includes emergency items such as temporary shelters blankets hygiene kits solar lamps and medicinesOfficials at the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology in Nepal said that an ice avalanche and the subsequent formation and bursting of a debris lake may have triggered the sudden flood in the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa according to the Kathmandu PostIn a translated post on X Nepals National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority NDRRMA said An initial study based on the analysis of satellite images by Planet Labs indicates that a glacierinclusive flood occurred in the Lhende River due to a snowrock landslide that took place on the NepalChina border approximately 20 kilometres northeast of the NepalChina Rasuwagadhi border crossingHowever Shanti Mahat spokesperson for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said the agency had also received preliminary information that an ice avalanche had blocked a river The information was shared through the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development which obtained it from sources in China as reported by the Kathmandu PostWe have not received any official information yet Mahat said But ICIMOD has shared the information it received from the other side with us This is only an initial assessment We are focused on rescue and relief efforts for now The cause will become clearer graduallyThe scale of those missing has raised concerns that Wednesdays floods could rank among the deadliest disasters in Nepals modern history The Kathmandu Post reportedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever