Nepal flood toll hits 669 as fresh rain raises Bhotekoshi fears

Kathmandu,UPDATED: Aug 29, 2026 21:04 IST

Nepal's flash flood death toll rose to 669 on Saturday as search and rescue operations continued amid renewed rainfall, rising water levels and fears of further flooding in the Bhotekoshi River basin. Nearly 2,400 people remained missing, including at least 320 foreign nationals, while more than 4,400 people have been rescued or evacuated so far.

Officials said more than 15,000 security personnel have been mobilised and helicopters are making repeated sorties to evacuate stranded people and deliver relief supplies. The affected region remains on "high alert", Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said, as authorities monitor the possibility of further flooding.

The disaster is believed to have been triggered by a collapse or avalanche of ice and rock in the Himalayan region near the Nepal-Tibet border. On Wednesday, it sent a massive torrent of water, mud and debris downstream through central Nepal, devastating towns and villages in several districts, sweeping away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges, and damaging hydropower projects. The Bhotekoshi River, which flows south from the Himalayan border region, became the main channel for the floodwaters spreading downstream.

Officials said the rescued included at least 261 foreign tourists who had gone "out of contact". Of them, 167 were Indians, 40 Chinese, eight Ukrainians, four each from Germany and Malta, and three from the US. Others were from Turkiye, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Oman, Belgium and Bulgaria.

Khanal said search and rescue teams, medical personnel and emergency responders were working together in the affected areas, while authorities were coordinating with families to identify missing people. Diplomats were also facilitating communication with families of missing foreign nationals. Renewed rain has added to the difficulties, with emergency teams warning that weather and damaged infrastructure are making it harder to reach some of the worst-hit areas. Some severely affected locations can now be reached only by helicopter after roads and bridges were swept away, while the terrain has further complicated rescue work.

A new lake formed upstream of the disaster zone after the initial flooding, raising fears of another surge downstream. Chinese monitoring indicated that the lake had later shrunk from its peak level, but Nepali authorities continued to closely monitor water levels and the risk of further flooding. Nepal's Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority had warned on Friday of possible further flooding after water levels rose at the site of Wednesday's disaster, and the meteorology department on Saturday warned of fresh rainfall and thunderstorms in the affected areas.

On the Chinese side of the border, seven people were reported dead and more than 550 were missing, according to Chinese authorities. In Nepal, an 11-member Indian team sent to assist in the response carried out on-site reconnaissance of hydropower tunnels in the flood-hit regions on Saturday before reaching Trishuli in Nuwakot district to help rescue workers trapped in a tunnel belonging to a hydropower project. Nepali security forces have rescued 191 workers and residents from hydropower projects across the affected corridor, but many more remain unaccounted for at several sites.

Since Wednesday, India has dispatched 57.6 tonnes of relief material to flood-ravaged areas of Nepal. Kathmandu on Saturday praised India's assistance, with Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle describing the Indian government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "exceptionally generous" and saying New Delhi had indicated it would provide generous assistance for reconstruction. Wagle said the immediate priority was rescuing people stranded or trapped by the floods, followed by recovery and reconstruction, as Nepal begins to assess the scale of damage to infrastructure and communities.

There were also some signs of movement in transport links, with the Mugling-Kathmandu highway reopening on Saturday after being shut since Wednesday because of flooding and landslide risks. Several other roads and highways in central Nepal, however, remain obstructed or difficult to access.

The scale of the disaster has also been reflected in accounts from survivors and the scenes in the affected areas. In Timure near the Nepal-Tibet border, survivors said they scrambled up hillsides as a wall of water, mud and stones swept through the settlement and houses vanished within seconds. In other places, buildings were buried under several feet of mud, vehicles lay half-submerged and electricity poles were uprooted, while families searched through wreckage for belongings and relatives outside hospitals and relief centres scanned lists of survivors and photographs of the dead. Overall, Nepal continues to face a deepening crisis, with rescue teams racing to reach remote settlements as bad weather, damaged infrastructure and the threat of fresh flooding hamper operations.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends