Nepal flash floods kill 177; nearly 300 Indian tourists among missing

Kathmandu,UPDATED: Aug 27, 2026 13:06 IST

Nepal's flash flood death toll rose to 177 on Thursday as rescue teams searched for hundreds of missing people, including nearly 300 Indian tourists, after one of the country's worst disasters in recent years. Authorities said the floods, which began on Wednesday, caused widespread damage in central Nepal and left thousands of people untraced.

The flooding followed an avalanche that blocked the Lhende tributary of the Bhotekoshi river near Nepal's border with China, with the first impact reported in Timure near Rasuwagadhi. Officials and disaster experts said the scale of the destruction meant the disaster could rank among Nepal's deadliest since the 1993 floods that killed 1,400 people.

Nepal Police said the death toll in the Bhotekoshi river floods rose to 177 after 12 more bodies were recovered. In a district-wise update, authorities reported two deaths in Rasuwa, 12 in Nuwakot, 27 in Dhading, 69 in Chitwan, 20 in Gorkha, nine in Tanahu, 32 in Nawalparasi East and six in Nawalparasi West, taking that tally to 165. Chitwan, a tourism hub known for jungle safaris, was among the municipalities placed on high alert as water levels rose.

Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said nearly 300 Indian tourists were among thousands reportedly missing in the floods. He also confirmed that more than 160 people had died and thousands remained untraced after the tragedy in the Rasuwa region. "Thousands of families have lost homes and are missing as of now. We are still trying to ascertain the full extent of the disaster," Khanal said.

According to the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, 826 people were missing. Authorities said 44 Nepal Army personnel, 28 Nepal Police personnel and 13 Armed Police Force personnel had lost contact with the centre. Another 162 people working at hydropower and customs offices were also missing. A total of 579 tourists, including foreigners, were untraced, with most of them travelling to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet and Gosainkunda in Nepal's Bagmati Province.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Thursday visited Bidur Municipality in Nuwakot district to inspect flood-hit areas, accompanied by Infrastructure Development Minister Sunil Lamshal, according to the Prime Minister's Office. The team travelled by road from Kathmandu to Bidur, one of the worst-hit areas. The Prime Minister has been overseeing rescue and relief operations since Wednesday, when the Bhotekoshi river flooded riverside settlements in Rasuwa.

At least 73 people were injured in the flooding, including 43 in Rasuwa, 27 in Nuwakot and three in Dhading. They were being treated at different hospitals, including Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu. The floods also damaged 35 motorable bridges, 45 suspension bridges and 40 km of black-topped roads, mainly in central Nepal. Of the 123 stranded people rescued from Timure in Rasuwa, 94 were Nepali citizens and 29 were foreigners.

A preliminary assessment on Thursday said the flash flood was caused by an ice avalanche upstream that blocked a river on the Nepal-China border. The disaster authority said a debris-laden flood occurred in the Lhende river after an ice-rock landslide about 20 km northeast of Rasuwagadhi. "The same flood appears to have entered the Trishuli River after passing through Timure," the authority said. Disaster expert Basanta Raj Adhikari also said an ice avalanche in the Lhende river, about 20 km upstream of Rasuwagadhi, had blocked the river and led to the flooding.

The floods also disrupted transport across several parts of the country. Mud and rocks blocked roads in some areas, while traffic was stopped in others because of fresh risk from the flooding. A section of the national highway from Nagdhunga in Kathmandu to Mugling was shut indefinitely. Services were also halted on the Mechi Highway in Ilam, the BP Highway in Kavre, the Kanti Lokpath in Makwanpur, the national highways in Rasuwa and Nuwakot, the Prithvi Highway in Dhading, and the road links connecting Chitwan and the Jajarkot-Dolpa section in Rukum West.

With the death toll rising, hundreds still missing and major damage reported to roads and bridges, Nepal's authorities continued rescue and relief work on Thursday as they tried to establish the full extent of the disaster triggered by the flash floods.

With PTI Inputs

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