Nepal flood from Tibet kills four, batters hydropower and border trade route

Kathmandu,UPDATED: Aug 26, 2026 15:08 IST

A sudden and massive flood swept through parts of central Nepal bordering Tibet on Wednesday morning, killing four people, damaging settlements along the Bhote Koshi river and hitting at least a dozen hydropower projects. Authorities said the flood affected Rasuwa and Dhading districts, which border Tibet, as well as Nuwakot district, southwest of Kathmandu.

Officials said the flood came from the Tibet side at around 9 am local time. Multiple downstream districts, including Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading and Chitawan, were placed on high alert as rescue and search operations began with the help of the Nepal Army. The exact cause of the flooding has not yet been established.

The Nepal Army said the sudden rise in water caused widespread destruction in Timure in Rasuwa district and the nearby Syafrubesi area, washing away vehicles, goods and other property. Rasuwa, about 125 km northeast of Kathmandu near the Tibet border, was the worst-hit district.

The bodies of three men and a woman were recovered from Bidur Municipality in Nuwakot district after the flash flood, a Senior Superintendent of Police and spokesperson at the Bagmati Province Police Office told PTI. He said the bodies were found near the Trishuli river soon after the flood.

The Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority asked people living near river banks in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Chitawan and Gorkha to remain on high alert and take safety measures until further notice.

According to Nepal's Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, the flooding was not caused by rainfall in Rasuwa. Dinkar Kayastha, information officer at the department, said it might have been caused by either the formation of a new glacier or the bursting of an old one. "We are still studying the matter, so the real cause is not yet known," he said, adding that the risk of flooding from the Tibetan side had not vanished and "we need to be cautious." The Himalayan Times reported that officials were examining whether the surge was triggered by a glacial lake outburst flood or another factor.

Rasuwa Assistant Chief District Officer Dhruva Prasad Adhikari said the flooding was unusually large in scale and had caused major damage in the two settlements. Rasuwa Chief Customs Officer Rajendra Dhungana said many vehicles and goods kept at the customs premises were swept away and a recently built bridge was also destroyed. The site regulates Nepal's trade traffic connecting Tibet, China.

The flash flood damaged eight operational hydropower projects with a total capacity of 354 MW and five projects under construction in Nuwakot and Rasuwa districts, according to the Independent Power Producers' Association Nepal. The major operational projects affected included the 111 MW Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project, the 78 MW Sanjen Khola Hydropower Project and the 60 MW Upper Trishuli 3A project.

The Kathmandu Post quoted Chameli Gurung, deputy chair of Uttargaya Rural Municipality, as saying that around a dozen settlements were affected, including Syaphrubesi, Betrawati, Mailung, Salletar, Shantibazar, Pairebesi, Khalti Basti, Sole, Trishuli and Battar.

Rescue and relief work was launched after an emergency meeting chaired by Prime Minister Balendra Shah to assess the situation. Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police personnel were deployed in the affected areas. The Nepal Army said it had mobilised 12 helicopters for search and rescue operations. Six people were rescued from Syafrubesi, two from Mailung and four from Dhunche, all in Rasuwa district.

The Army also set up a treatment centre at Military Training Centre No 1 in Trishuli, where its medical personnel were providing emergency treatment to affected people. An MI17 Army helicopter equipped with an Emergency Medical Rescue Team was sent to the district hospital in Trishuli, the statement said. A team of 16 health personnel, including five doctors, was also sent to Rasuwa to treat the injured.

Local media quoted Nepal Police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle as saying that the Area Police Office in Timure, the police post in Syaphrubesi and the police post at Rasuwagadhi were also damaged. Netra Bahadur Karki, spokesperson for the Armed Police Force, said four of its personnel had gone missing in Rasuwa after the flood.

The flood also swept away a bridge in Gajuri in Dhading district. Five drones were deployed to support rescue and relief work, and three sniper dogs were sent to help locate missing people. Last year too, two major floods hit Bhotekoshi in Rasuwa, killing at least 10 people. Wednesday's flood has again left several districts on alert amid continuing rescue efforts and uncertainty over what triggered the sudden surge.

With PTI Inputs

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