Nepal on high alert as Bhotekoshi rises after floods kill 734

Kathipudi,UPDATED: Aug 30, 2026 13:14 IST

Nepal remained on alert on Sunday after authorities warned that water levels in the Bhotekoshi River had risen again, days after devastating flash floods killed 734 people and left nearly 2,500 missing. Bodies continued to be recovered as search and rescue operations went on amid intermittent rain and fears of fresh flooding.

The disaster, believed to have been triggered by a collapse or avalanche of ice and rock near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, has devastated towns and villages in central Nepal. The Bhotekoshi River carried floodwaters downstream, sweeping away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges, and damaging hydropower projects.

In a statement, the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority warned that 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. The agency said it would provide updates after receiving additional information.

Fears of fresh flooding were first triggered after a lake formed on the Chinese side following the Himalayan glacier collapse. However, Chinese media reported on Saturday that the threat of a catastrophic breach of the barrier lake appeared to recede as its size began decreasing. On Sunday, fresh reports said a landslide near the natural dam led to the formation of another "dam lake", prompting rescue personnel to evacuate the area.

According to authorities, nearly 2,500 people, including 320 foreigners, remain missing in Nepal. The disaster also left 16 people dead and nearly 550 missing on the Chinese side. India 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.

The Nepalese government has mobilised nearly 20,000 security personnel for search and rescue work, while helicopters have been making 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". The meteorology department also warned of fresh rainfall and thunderstorms in flood-hit areas, raising the risk of disruption to rescue and relief work.

Transport services have been halted along the Prithvi Highway, a key road linking Kathmandu to Pokhara and western Nepal, after a section at Krishnabhir was washed away by the Trishuli River. Officials said reopening the highway would take time and asked people to use an alternative route. Nineteen motorable bridges were washed away in the floods.

The floods damaged eight operational hydropower projects with a combined capacity of 354 MW and five under-construction projects in Nuwakot and Rasuwa districts, according to the Independent Power Producers' Association Nepal. 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 assisting in rescuing trapped workers. At the Trishuli hydropower project site, Nepalese security personnel, with help from Indian tunnel experts, continued efforts after midnight on Saturday to locate the tunnel entrance and evacuate those trapped despite heavy rain through the night, Nepal Army sources said.

The NDRRMA said 242 injured people had been admitted to 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 were dispatched to Uttargaya and Dhunche in Rasuwa. India has also provided 68.5 tonnes of relief material and sent technical teams, forensic experts and equipment to support search and rescue operations, according to the Indian embassy.

With river levels rising again, rescue operations under way and fears of another flood threat from the border region, Nepal continues to deal with a disaster that has caused heavy loss of life, widespread damage and a large-scale relief and recovery effort.

With PTI Inputs

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