Nepal Bhotekoshi flood toll tops 700 as river levels rise again

Kathmandu,UPDATED: Aug 30, 2026 12:14 IST

Water levels in Nepal's Bhotekoshi River rose again on Sunday, days after the devastating flash floods of August 26, prompting authorities to ask residents and rescue teams in affected districts to stay alert. The warning came as the death toll from the disaster crossed 700, with nearly 2,500 people still missing.

The floods, believed to have been triggered by a collapse or avalanche of ice and rock near the Nepal-Tibet border, have devastated towns and villages in central Nepal. The Bhotekoshi River carried the floodwaters downstream, sweeping away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges and damaging hydropower projects.

In a statement, the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said water levels in the river had risen again. "The water level in the flooded Bhotekoshi River has risen to some extent; all concerned are urged to take precautionary measures," the NDRRMA said on Sunday. It added that it would provide further updates after receiving more information. Bodies continued to be recovered as search and rescue operations went on amid intermittent rain and rising water levels.

According to authorities, nearly 2,500 people, including 320 foreigners, remain missing. On the Chinese side, the disaster left seven people dead and more than 500 missing. India's Ministry of External Affairs said on Saturday that more than 275 Indians and 128 persons of Indian origin remained missing or non-contactable, while 108 others had been rescued following the flash floods.

The Nepal government has deployed nearly 20,000 security personnel for search and rescue work, while helicopters have carried out repeated sorties to evacuate stranded people and deliver relief supplies. Nepal Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said on Saturday that more than 4,500 people had been rescued and that search and rehabilitation operations were continuing even as the country remained on "high-alert". Nepal's meteorology department had also warned on Saturday of fresh rainfall and thunderstorms in the flood-hit areas, raising the risk of further disruption to rescue and relief efforts.

Transport services remain halted on the Prithvi Highway, the key road linking Kathmandu to Pokhara and western Nepal, after a section was washed away by the Trishuli River at Krishnabhir. Officials said reopening the highway would take time and asked people to use an alternative route. Hundreds of workers are believed to be trapped at around a dozen hydropower project sites in the affected areas. Nepali security forces have rescued 191 of them so far, though many remain non-contactable. An 11-member team from India is helping in rescue operations for the trapped workers. At the Trishuli hydropower project site, Nepalese security personnel, assisted by Indian tunnel experts, continued efforts after midnight on Saturday to trace the tunnel entrance and evacuate those trapped despite heavy rain through the night, Nepal Army sources said.

The NDRRMA said 242 people injured in the Bhotekoshi flash floods had been admitted to different hospitals, including Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital and Bir Hospital in Kathmandu, and Rasuwa District Hospital in Dhunche, till Saturday evening. Home Ministry sources said the government had distributed NPR 10 million in cash to affected people in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts, NPR 5 million to Dhading and NPR 67.5 million to different municipalities. So far, 37 trucks carrying food items and seven helicopters loaded with food and non-food supplies have been sent to affected areas, while two tonnes of food items were dispatched to Uttargaya and Dhunche in Rasuwa. According to the Indian embassy, India has also sent 68.5 tonnes of relief material along with technical teams, forensic experts and equipment to support search and rescue operations.

With water levels rising again in the Bhotekoshi, rescue efforts under way and more rain forecast, Nepal remains in the grip of a crisis that has killed more than 700 people, left thousands missing and caused widespread damage across flood-hit areas.

With PTI Inputs

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