At least 579 people have died, and around 1,400 remain missing after devastating floods and landslides swept through Nepal’s Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river regions bordering Tibet earlier this week. Rescue teams continue to search for survivors as Nepal and China warn of fresh flooding risks along the Himalayan border.
Five people have been killed in Gyirong County in the Tibet Autonomous Region, according to Chinese authorities.
The Ministry of External Affairs said 320 Indian tourists remain untraceable in Nepal, while 400 Indian nationals on the Chinese side are safe. Of those stranded in China, 96 Indians have crossed into Nepal by land.
Meanwhile, 84 Indians, including 63 workers from the Trishuli-I project, have been accounted for, while 21 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu have been rescued and returned to Delhi.
At least 1924 people, including 86 security personnel, 517 foreign tourists and 127 Nepali travellers, have been missing since Wednesday morning when the flash floods hit Rasuwa and adjoining districts of Nepal.
Cryosphere specialists at Nepal's ICIMOD, along with Chinese authorities, have warned of a secondary flash flood as a lake formed by Wednesday's mudslide faces a high risk of breaching, potentially sending floodwaters downstream.
Helpline numbers:
Indian Embassy in Kathmandu / MEA 24×7 control room: +977 985 131 6807, +977 970 910 7500, +977 981 032 6117
Nepal Police emergency: 100
Nepal Police toll-free: 16600141516
At least 469 people have died and around 1,400 remain missing after devastating floods and landslides swept through Nepal’s Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river regions earlier this week. Rescue teams continue to search for survivors as Nepal and China warn of fresh flooding risks along the Himalayan border.
The Ministry of External Affairs said 290 Indian nationals remain uncontactable in Nepal, while 84 Indians, including 63 workers from the Trishuli-I project and 21 from Tamil Nadu, have been rescued. Around 200 Indians undertaking the Mansarovar Yatra have also sought evacuation.
Overall, 910 people, including 517 foreign tourists, remain out of contact in Nepal.
Chinese authorities have warned that a lake formed by Wednesday’s mudslide faces a high risk of breaching, potentially sending floodwaters downstream.
Helpline numbers:
Indian Embassy in Kathmandu / MEA 24×7 control room: +977 985 131 6807, +977 970 910 7500, +977 981 032 6117
Nepal Police emergency: 100
Nepal Police toll-free: 16600141516
Devastating floods on the Nepal-Tibet border region have killed at least 469 people, Nepali police said Friday, 48 hours after the disaster.
Chinese state media had earlier confirmed three dead, taking the total killed to at least 472. More than 1,400 people are missing, including hundreds of foreigners.
A lake formed after a mudslide hit the China-Nepal border faces a high risk of breaching and sending floodwaters downstream, Chinese authorities warned.
Water levels are expected to rise over the next three days and peak around September 1 amid continued rainfall, state media reported. The breach could threaten areas including Gyirong Port and other downstream locations.
About 90 US citizens remain unaccounted for after catastrophic flash floods hit Nepal and Tibet, US officials said.
The State Department said no American deaths have been reported, while three US citizens have been rescued. Many of those missing were on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet.
Nepal has declined offers from several countries to deploy search and rescue teams after the Bhotekoshi floods, saying its security agencies can manage the operations. The government has instead asked countries to provide financial assistance through a centralised mechanism, the Kathmandu Post reported.
Officials cited coordination challenges during the 2015 earthquake as a reason for the decision. India, China, the US, UK, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had offered assistance, including search and rescue teams.
Earth scientists have reviewed satellite imagery to investigate the cause of the disaster and assess the devastation.
Geomorphologists Kristen Cook and Dan Shugar said initial images from Nepal were obscured by clouds and dust from the debris, showing only that part of a glacier had broken off from Langtang Lirung peak near the Tibet border. In clearer images from Thursday, they said the bedrock beneath the glacier had collapsed, taking a massive chunk of ice with it and sending boulders and ice into the valley.
Nepali army helicopter rescue teams were working Friday to rescue around 100 people trapped inside a tunnel at a hydropower project swamped by a devastating flood two days earlier.
"Our focus is in search and rescue of people... some people are trapped in the tunnel of Trishuli 3A hydropower project," Nepal Army spokesman Raja Ram Basnet told AFP.
The prime minister's office said in a statement that 350 people had been rescued from the area, but that 100 more were trapped.
Nepal Police has released details of unidentified and unclaimed bodies recovered after the Bhotekoshi floods in Rasuwa district. Families can scan the QR code to check the details or visit the official Nepal Police portal.
रसुवा जिल्ला भोटेकोशीमा आएको बाढीबाट प्रभावित "पहिचान नखुलेका तथा बेवारिसे शव" सम्बन्धी विवरणहरूका लागि QR Scan वा https://t.co/pnKPe51ZdI हेर्न सक्नुहुन्छ ।#नेपालप्रहरी #NepalPolice #BelieveInBlue #ToServeandProtect pic.twitter.com/0fNNLJF34L
— Nepal Police (@NepalPoliceHQ) August 27, 2026
China paused a rescue operation on Friday due to the high risk of renewed flooding in Tibet where hundreds remain missing after a deadly mudslide hit the border region.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that a lake formed by immense piles of debris has begun overflowing towards the area that rescue teams were headed.
"So all rescue teams have been ordered to stand by in place and wait for further instructions," it said, adding that emergency teams which had earlier accessed the area "have been ordered to withdraw one kilometer".
The UK has offered 5 million pounds and emergency responders to Nepal after flash floods in the country claimed hundreds of lives and left over a thousand missing, including around 33 British nationals.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Thursday described the scenes emerging from the region as "devastating" and urged British nationals caught up in the crisis to follow guidance from the local authorities.
He said immediate action already taken by the UK includes deploying consular support staff to the impacted area to facilitate round-the-clock support for British nationals.
The Sikkim government has constituted a task force to coordinate relief and assistance for state residents who may be stranded, missing or otherwise affected by the flash floods in Nepal.
The task force, headed by Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority Director Prabhakar Rai, will coordinate with the Centre, Indian Embassy in Nepal and other agencies to verify information and keep families of affected residents updated.
Indian authorities recovered seven bodies from rivers flowing from Nepal, believed to be victims of devastating floods, officials said Friday, underscoring the scale of the deadly disaster.
The bodies were found floating in rivers in the Maharajganj and Kushinagar districts of Uttar Pradesh state, which borders Nepal's southern flood-hit Chitwan region.
"Four unidentified bodies were recovered in the district on Thursday," Maharajganj district magistrate Gaurav Singh Sogarwal told AFP.
"We think they have been swept into India from Nepal following flash floods there."
Three more bodies were recovered in Kushinagar district, around 70 kilometres (43 miles) downstream from the frontier, a police official confirmed.
Chinese President Xi Jinping chaired a meeting of top leaders about rescue operations in Tibet on Friday, two days after a landslide hit the Nepal-China border.
"All efforts must be made to search for and rescue missing people inside and outside of the country," officials of the Chinese Communist Party's Politburo said at the meeting, according to Xinhua News Agency.
"There are still many hidden dangers of glaciers, ice lakes and geological disasters in the surrounding area, and rescue is facing great difficulties," Xinhua reported the leaders saying, adding that China was considering emergency aid to Nepal and "international relief cooperation".
Nepal issued a warning on Friday to move to higher ground after a dam upstream in Tibet was reported to have burst, two days after a glacial collapse caused deadly flooding.
"Information has been received that a water dam has burst again on the Tibetan side," police said in a statement. "All security personnel, rescue workers, and the general public deployed in rescue and relief operations are requested to remain alert and immediately move to a safe location/report the incident."
The number of Gujarat-linked persons reported missing following severe flash floods in Nepal has risen to 26, including several NRIs from the state, officials said on Friday.
The state government has stepped up coordination with the Centre and the Ministry of External Affairs to track and assist those stranded, they said.
The updated list released by the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) added nine more names to the earlier figure of 17 untraceable individuals, many of whom were travelling along the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage route or near the Nepal-Tibet border.
The missing persons, including NRIs living in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, have links to Ahmedabad, Anand, Rajkot, Valsad, Surat, Kheda, Amreli, Gandhinagar and Vadodara, it stated.
Bodies of people swept away by the devastating Bhote Koshi floods in Nepal are being recovered far downstream, overwhelming morgues and forcing authorities to set up temporary facilities to store and identify the remains, according to a media report.
Bodies recovered from Rasuwa and Nuwakot have been found as far downstream as Chitwan, Tanahun, Nawalparasi, Gorkha and other districts, with morgues in several areas running out of space, The Kathmandu Post reported.
Chinese state media CCTV said the overflow from a barrier lake near the Nepal border has stopped, easing immediate fears of another surge in the flood-hit region. Rescue workers are now preparing to resume operations after authorities suspended the search earlier over concerns that rising water levels could trigger fresh flooding. The lake had formed after debris from a landslide blocked the waterway.
The Nepali Army has rescued two people from the tunnel at a hydropower project in Rasuwa, where people remain trapped following the floods.
Emergency teams have recovered 472 bodies after a tsunami-like wall of water and mud crashed down on Wednesday, burying homes, smashing bridges and sweeping away vehicles in both Nepal and Tibet.
More than 1,400 people are missing, including trekkers in the Himalayas and scores of Hindu pilgrims to Tibet's sacred snow-capped Mount Kailash.
The death toll from a mudslide in Tibet on the China-Nepal border rose from three to five people, with 558 people still missing, Chinese state media reported on Friday.
"As of 3 pm (0700 GMT)... the disaster has caused five deaths and 558 people are missing," state broadcaster CCTV said.
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Sichuan in southwest China.
The Nepal flash floods have disrupted cross-border trade between India and the neighbouring country, with the movement of goods vehicles to Kathmandu and other parts of Nepal via Maharajganj in Uttar Pradesh, affected by damaged and flooded roads.
A queue of around 16 km of cargo vehicles has formed on the Indian side of the Sonauli border in Maharajganj as trucks wait to enter Nepal.
Besides vehicles bound for Kathmandu, cargo trucks heading to other parts of Nepal are also facing delays as traffic movement on several routes remains affected.
The queue has extended towards Nautanwa, raising concerns over traffic movement on the national highway. Security agencies and police personnel are monitoring the situation and regulating the movement of vehicles.
Circle Officer Basant Singh said, "Surveillance at the Sonauli border has been intensified, and police station heads in the border areas have been directed to remain alert."
Officials warned that the situation could worsen if road connectivity in Nepal is not restored soon, potentially delaying the movement and supply of goods between the two countries.
The floods have also affected residents of Maharajganj who work in Nepal.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday chaired the ruling Communist Party meeting to take stock of the grim situation arising out of the massive flash floods engulfing the Tibet-Nepal border in which hundreds were killed and many remain missing.
The meeting was to deliberate and make arrangements on rescue and relief efforts after the flash floods hit Gyirong County in the Tibet Autonomous Region on Wednesday.
At the beginning of the meeting, Xi and other leaders observed a moment of silence to mourn the victims of the disaster, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Officials at the meeting said that emergency rescue operations have been carried out swiftly and in a well-coordinated manner, with comprehensive efforts underway to resettle affected people.
At the meeting, it was decided that search and rescue plans should be formulated scientifically, and all efforts should be made to search for and rescue all missing Chinese and foreign nationals, according to the report.
The death toll of the flash floods in Nepal has reached 469, while three people were killed in Tibet.
Over 550 people were reported missing in Tibet and 100 Chinese were yet to be traced in Nepal.
Chinese President Xi Jinping offered Beijing's help in Nepal's rescue operations on Friday, state media said, after deadly flooding at their shared border.
"China is willing to actively assist Nepal in its rescue efforts and provide support and aid to the best of its ability," Xi said in a condolence message to Nepal's president, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported Friday afternoon that 680 rescuers arrived at the hardest-hit zone in China’s Gyirong border area.
Video showed the rescuers arriving in an inflatable raft in rapids and flown in by a drone.
Footage shows that the road leading to the border was destroyed and flooded areas have become a river.
The chances of a secondary flash flood prevail in Nepal as debris from the ice-rock avalanche that possibly triggered the flash floods is accumulating at the river confluence and creating a temporary dam, senior cryosphere specialist at ICIMOD, Mohd Farooq Azam, has warned.
The term cryosphere refers to the parts of the Earth's surface covered by frozen water.
As of Friday, the death toll from the flash floods in Nepal and Tibet has exceeded 470, with nearly 1,000 people still reported missing as search and rescue operations continue into their third day.
Researchers from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), based near Kathmandu, are investigating whether an ice-rock avalanche originating from a high-altitude location may have triggered the floods.
"This is basically an ice and rock avalanche. So, as per current understanding, there is a detachment of the bedrock, which means that the bedrock from below the glacier is detached from its position and came down to the valley that created this disaster," Azam said.
"This debris that came down with this flash flood is now also accumulating at the river confluence, where there is temporary damming at the moment. This dam is collecting water, and it is expected that over the next three days, there will be more water collected in this temporary pond or lake. So, there are chances that there may be some secondary flash flood in this valley," he added.
China on Friday said the collapse of a high-altitude glacier in Nepal may have triggered the massive flash flood disaster that engulfed the Tibet-Nepal border, killing hundreds and causing widespread damage.
The death toll from Wednesday's flood-related devastation climbed to 469 in Nepal, while three people were killed in Tibet.
“We noted that experts and official institutions of China and Nepal have made preliminary assessments on the cause of the disaster,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a media briefing here.
“According to their analysis, the disaster may have been triggered by the collapse of a high-altitude glacier in Nepal,” he said, answering a question.
China’s stand underscores that both Beijing and Kathmandu are on the same page about the cause of the disaster, which resulted in massive deaths and widespread damage to settlements, roads, bridges and hydropower infrastructure.
A preliminary assessment by Nepalese authorities and a revised analysis by the US Geological Survey (USGS) on Thursday identified a glacial collapse and debris flow as the trigger for the disaster.
The ice-rock avalanche struck the Lhende River, temporarily blocking its flow before the natural barrier gave way and unleashed a massive surge downstream into the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river system.
Devastating floods on the Nepal-Tibet border region this week have killed at least 538 people, Nepal's disaster authority said Friday.
Chinese state media earlier confirmed five dead following Wednesday's disaster, taking the total killed to at least 543. More than 1,400 people are missing, including hundreds of foreigners.
At least 547 people have died and around 1,400 remain missing after devastating floods and landslides swept through Nepal’s Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river regions bordering Tibet earlier this week. Rescue teams continue to search for survivors as Nepal and China warn of fresh flooding risks along the Himalayan border.
Chinese state media earlier confirmed five dead following Wednesday's disaster, taking the total killed to at least 552.
The Ministry of External Affairs said 290 Indian nationals remain uncontactable in Nepal, while 84 Indians, including 63 workers from the Trishuli-I project and 21 from Tamil Nadu, have been rescued. Around 200 Indians undertaking the Mansarovar Yatra have also sought evacuation.
Overall, 910 people, including 517 foreign tourists, remain out of contact in Nepal.
Cryosphere specialists at Nepal's ICIMOD, along with Chinese authorities, have warned of a secondary flash flood as a lake formed by Wednesday's mudslide faces a high risk of breaching, potentially sending floodwaters downstream.
Helpline numbers:
Indian Embassy in Kathmandu / MEA 24×7 control room: +977 985 131 6807, +977 970 910 7500, +977 981 032 6117
Nepal Police emergency: 100
Nepal Police toll-free: 16600141516
Rescuers in Tibet reached on Friday the main area wiped out by a devastating mudslide this week, Chinese state media reported, as the search for hundreds of missing people battled treacherous conditions.
"At approximately 4:30 pm (0830 GMT) on 28 August, six members of the first response team from the Fire and Rescue Corps of Tibet and 15 members and one dog from the first response team of the Fire and Rescue Corps of Sichuan arrived at the border area... They are the first professional teams to reach the core rescue site," state news agency Xinhua reported.
Devastating floods on the Nepal-Tibet border region this week have killed at least 547 people, Nepal's police said Friday.
Chinese state media earlier confirmed five dead following Wednesday's disaster, taking the total killed to at least 552.
More than 1,400 people are missing, including hundreds of foreigners.
The US Geological Survey said the disaster -- the deadliest for Nepal since a 2015 earthquake -- was caused by a glacial collapse that triggered a vast flow of icy debris.
In addition, Indian authorities recovered seven bodies from rivers flowing from Nepal, believed to be victims of the devastating floods, officials said Friday. Authorities are working to identify the bodies, and the seven bodies in India are not included in the overall toll.
Nepal appealed Friday for international financial assistance after devastating floods near its border with Tibet, but said it was coping without foreign rescue teams.
"Our focus is on search and rescue right now," foreign ministry spokesman Lok Bahadur Chhetri told AFP, adding that Nepal's security forces were capable of handling rescue operations, but the government would request specialised foreign expertise if needed.
"It is not that we will not need help, but our security network is capable and working effectively right now," he said.
"If Nepal needs any specialised help or expertise, then we will request it."
The prime minister's office has appealed for funds to help recover from the disaster, both domestic and international.
Keralam authorities have confirmed the safety of 60 Keralites from an initial list of 82 people reported missing or stranded in Nepal. Four Keralites and four Australian citizens of Kerala origin remain untraced.
Officials also discovered that 14 names on the original list belonged to residents of other states, and their information was forwarded to the ministry and their respective state governments.
The level of trauma cascading from the Nepal flash floods is "enormous", the Red Cross said Friday, with early estimates suggesting 93,000 people may have been affected.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the world's largest humanitarian network, fears the death toll from Wednesday's disaster, already above 500, will continue to rise.
"Due to roads and bridges having been washed out and both cell coverage and electricity cuts, we have not yet been able to access some of the hardest-hit areas," said David Fisher, the IFRC head of delegation for Nepal.
"The trauma of this event is enormous," he told a press conference in Geneva, speaking from Kathmandu. "Thousands of homes have been destroyed or suffered significant damage. We believe that at least 93,000 people have been affected and in great need. The death toll is very high and unfortunately likely to continue to rise."
The Nepal Red Cross branch has begun providing emergency relief for those who have lost their homes, including food, water, hygiene kits, mattresses and blankets.
UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said on X that the United Nations was "moving at speed to save lives".
Lila Pieters Yahia, the UN resident coordinator for Nepal, said drinking water was being airlifted into affected areas.
"The damage is just incredible," she told the press conference, speaking from the field, adding that more than 40 bridges had been destroyed or badly damaged and "over 40 kilometres of road completely destroyed".
She said search and rescue operations remained the government's immediate priority.
The World Health Organization said eight health workers were missing and six health facilities had been damaged. "Right now, really the priority is to ensure continuity of health services," WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said.
He said four emergency medical teams had been deployed from Kathmandu to the affected districts, with others on standby.
He said the UN health agency had delivered surgical masks and gloves and body bags to Nepal's health ministry.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said 320 Indian tourists are missing in Nepal following the floods and added that 21 Indian nationals have arrived in Delhi from Kathmandu .
"As far as the number of people whom we are not able to contact or who are missing, the figure at this point in time is 320," Jaiswal said addressing the weekly media briefing.
"... 21 Indian nationals who had arrived yesterday in Kathmandu from the area that was affected by this flood have today landed in Delhi. These 21 Indian nationals are from Tamil Nadu... Yesterday, our ambassador met them in Kathmandu and inquired about their well-being. In addition to these 21 Indian nationals, yesterday we gave you an update about 63 Indian nationals who are working at the Trishuli One hydropower project. They were also rescued yesterday," he said.
Jaiwal said around 100 people of Indian origin are also currently uncontactable. "There are also around 100 persons of Indian origin who remain uncontactable. These are people of Indian origin who may have gone for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, but they hold other nationalities."
#WATCH | Delhi: On Nepal flash flood, MEA Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, "... First good news, 21 Indian nationals who had arrived yesterday in Kathmandu from the area that was affected by this flood have today landed in Delhi. These 21 Indian nationals are from… pic.twitter.com/QQU5lmSEMw
— ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2026
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that around 400 Indian nationals on the Chinese side are safe, while 96 Indians stranded there have crossed into Nepal by land.
"On the Chinese side, we have 400 Indian nationals. They are safe. They have been in touch with their family... Our embassy has been in touch with several of them... Many of their family members also contacted us through the helpline numbers that our Embassy is running in Beijing... Our embassy is in touch with local authorities in China, and they are working out as to how these people who are there can be evacuated," Jaiswal said addressing the weekly media briefing.
"We have learned that 96 Indian nationals who were stranded on the Chinese side have safely crossed into Nepal by land. Efforts are underway to have them evacuated," he added.
#WATCH | Delhi: On Nepal flash flood, MEA Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, "... On the Chinese side, we have 400 Indian nationals. They are safe. They have been in touch with their family... Our embassy has been in touch with several of them... Many of their family… pic.twitter.com/2zZOcJyoy2
— ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2026
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar received 21 Indian nationals from Tamil Nadu at the Delhi airport after they were rescured from flood-hit Nepal.
Upon their arrival at the Delhi airport, the Union minister met with the group and listened to their accounts of the challenges they faced during the rescue process.
"Received a group of 21 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu who were rescued from the floods in Nepal. Was moved to hear their experience first hand. Thank the @NepaliArmyHQ and Government for this rescue effort. Appreciate @IndiaInNepal’s facilitation of their smooth return to India," Jaishankar said in two separate posts on X in English and Tamil.
Received a group of 21 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu who were rescued from the floods in Nepal.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) August 28, 2026
Was moved to hear their experience first hand. Thank the @NepaliArmyHQ and Government for this rescue effort. Appreciate @IndiaInNepal’s facilitation of their smooth return to India. pic.twitter.com/P0cNsY5exF
Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava on Friday met Indian tourists evacuated from various flood-hit areas in the Himalayan nation.
Srivastava visited Tribhuvan International Airport to bid farewell to Indian nationals who left Kathmandu on an IndiGo flight (6E1254) on Friday afternoon, according to an Indian Embassy spokesperson.
The tourists were rescued after a massive flash flood swept through Rasuwa and other parts of central Nepal on Wednesday, killing hundreds and causing widespread damage to settlements, roads, bridges and hydropower infrastructure.
At least 121 foreign tourists, including 85 Indians, have been rescued from various flood-affected areas of Nepal following a devastating flash flood, the Nepal Tourism Board said on Friday.
The tourists were rescued by security forces from several districts, including Rasuwa, Dhading and Nuwakot, which were among the worst affected by the flash floods.
The rescued tourists also included nine South Koreans and 16 Chinese nationals, according to the tourism board.
Parts of Bihar faced the threat of a deluge as water levels in the Ganga, Gandak, Kosi and Burhi Gandak rivers showed a rising trend following the devastating flash floods in neighbouring Nepal.
The Nepal floods were triggered after an ice-rock landslide blocked a river near the country's border with China. This has led to both Uttar Pradesh and Bihar administrations stepping up monitoring of their river systems downstream of the rivers of the Himalayan nation.
"The water levels of several rivers, including the Ganga, Gandak, Kosi and Burhi Gandak, have been rising following continuous rainfall in their catchment areas in Nepal. The rivers have touched or crossed the danger level at several places in the bordering districts," a senior official of the Water Resources Department said.
According to the department's bulletin on Friday, the Gandak, Kosi, Ganga, Burhi Gandak and Ghaghra rivers were flowing above the danger mark at many places in the state and have touched warning levels in some places.
The Gandak river has breached the danger mark in Gopalganj, while the Kosi and Burhi Gandak have touched the danger level in Khagaria, Katihar and Kursela.
The Ganga was flowing above the danger mark at Digha, Hathidah and Gandhighat in Patna and Kahlgaon in Bhagalpur, said the bulletin. Ghaghra river was flowing above the danger mark in Darauli in Siwan district.
Fears of a second wave of flash floods have grown in Nepal after authorities issued a fresh warning following a rise in the water level in the Bhotekoshi River area. The death toll from Wednesday's flood-related devastation has crossed 547.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said the rise in the water level, mixed with mud, at the site of Wednesday's flash flood had increased the risk of further flooding.
“The water level mixed with mud has increased at the same place where the flash flood occurred on Wednesday, and there is a risk of more flooding in the area,” the authority said in a notice.
It urged search and rescue teams and people in the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli areas to remain alert and move to safer locations if they faced any risk.
Nepal Police earlier said it had received information that a water dam on the Tibetan side had burst again. However, the government said there was no information of any dam bursting.
"There is no information that a dam has burst anywhere. Since glaciers have broken off, water mixed with mud has overflowed in several places," government spokesperson and Education Minister Sasmita Pokharel said. "No major immediate risk has been observed, but it is necessary to remain alert."
Chinese authorities said water flow in the area had increased but maintained that an upstream lake formed after the river was blocked remained stable and had not burst.
Another man from Jharkhand has been left stranded in flash-flood-hit Nepal, with his family seeking help from the Palamu district administration to trace and rescue him, an official said on Friday.
Mahendra Vishwakarma, a resident of Barwadih village in Palamu district, travelled to Nepal two months ago to work on a hydropower project. His wife, Kalavati Devi, told PTI that she approached the police on Thursday after losing contact with him.
“My husband had gone to Nepal two months ago. He was working there at ANDRITZ Hydropower Pvt Ltd, which is located in Baneshwar, Kathmandu. I last spoke with him on August 25 around 9:30 pm. The next morning he called around 8:07 am, but I could not pick up the call. Since then, we have not been able to contact him,” she said.
“I urge the district administration and the state government to make me talk to my husband or take me to him,” she said.
Palamu SP Kapil Chaudhary said, “The family has informed the police. Their application is being forwarded to higher officials through appropriate channels to trace him.”
Earlier, a 41-year-old man from Ranchi, Ramprasad Ghosh, was also reported stranded in Nepal. He had travelled to Kathmandu two months ago to work on another hydropower project.
A British couple with roots in Kolkata has been missing for four days while on a pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar, following devastating flash floods in Nepal.
Anal Kar, 56, and his wife Sanjukta Kar, 50, reached Kathmandu from New Delhi on August 18 and were last traced to Timure, near the Nepal-Tibet border. Their children, Aratrika Kar and Sankhadeep, have travelled to Kolkata to be with their maternal grandfather while trying to trace their parents.
"I have been trying to get in touch with them, but could not get through to them. I spoke to her (mother) on Tuesday, but the call got disconnected, after which she texted me," said Aratrika, who added that she last spoke to her parents on Tuesday, a day before the flash floods.
The couple were part of an eight-day Kailash Mansarovar trek organised by a tour agency, involving 31 people from Australia, the UK, New Zealand, South Africa and Malaysia.
Aratrika said her mother had texted her grandfather on Tuesday saying they were 15km from the checkpoint on the Nepal-Tibet border. The tour agency later told the family that the couple had been waiting there.
As many as 290 people from Maharashtra are stranded but confirmed safe in various parts of Nepal following the devastating flash floods while 60 tourists are still untraceable, a state government official said on Friday.
Further, 105 people from Maharashtra who were in Nepal at the time of the tragedy are on their way back to India, said the State Disaster Management Department official.
Sixty people from the state who were on a Nepal tour organised by Mumbai-based Richa Tours Pvt Ltd could not be contacted, he said.
"So far, 395 people from Maharashtra have been confirmed to be stuck in Nepal. Of these, 105 are on their way back to India, while our control room has established contact with the remaining 290 people, who are safe but stranded in various parts of Nepal," he added.
As many as 37 pilgrims who were stranded in Tibet after completing the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra left for Kathmandu on Friday morning following Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's intervention.
According to the Chief Minister's Office, the group, which includes pilgrims from Thane, Pune, Raigad, Alibag, and Dombivli, left Saga in Tibet around 6 am via the Nyalam check-post and is travelling towards the Nepalese capital. Their return flight from Kathmandu is scheduled for 2 pm on August 29, the CMO statement said.
Nepal on Friday denied refusing assistance from friendly countries and the international community, saying it wanted to "prioritise" maximum deployment of its own security forces, which are familiar with the country's rugged terrain and local environmental conditions.
Several countries, including India, have offered assistance for relief and rescue operations.
Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said the government wanted to "prioritise maximum deployment of its own security forces in the initial stage."
He told the National News Agency (RSS) that "International assistance was not rejected but that the rescue strategy was decided based on national capacity, immediate need and Nepal's unique geographical situation."
Khanal said rescue teams from the Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police were accustomed to the country's geographical features and difficult terrain.
"Since deploying an external rescue team in unfamiliar terrain can add complexity to coordination and technical management and may also create unforeseen risks, rescue operations were carried out using the available national capacity," the minister said.
Khanal said the government was ready to accept international assistance in difficult cases requiring specialised technical skills.
Nepal has also asked India and China to help construct 42 Bailey bridges after more than three dozen bridges were swept away by flash floods.
India has dispatched two consignments of relief materials to support Nepal's relief and rehabilitation efforts.
The survival of 21 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu in the catastrophic floods in Nepal is nothing short of a "miracle" and, despite their emotional trauma, the group displayed incredible willpower, state minister A Rajmohan said on Friday.
Lauding their resilience, he said "despite severe emotional trauma, they demonstrated incredible willpower, trekking up treacherous, damaged terrain to reach safely with the assistance of the army."
The School Education Minister, speaking to reporters in Delhi, said 57 people from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry had travelled together in three vehicles. Of the 21 rescued, all were travelling in the second vehicle.
Many of those rescued lost their passports, identification documents and personal belongings in the disaster. The state government is assisting them with travel documents, medical support and transportation back to their homes.
Authorities are continuing to gather information on smaller groups of tourists to ensure no one is left behind. A dedicated reception team in Chennai is handling medical care, emergency travel documentation and transportation to return survivors to their hometowns.
Rajmohan said the Tamil Nadu government had activated a 24/7 control room at Tamil Nadu House in New Delhi and was coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Foreign Secretary to speed up search and rescue operations for remaining missing citizens.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said that a group of 21 individuals from Tamil Nadu, who had travelled to Nepal for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, was rescued by the Nepal Army in the wake of the devastating flash floods in the neighbouring country.
Speaking to reporters at the airport premises, he said the pilgrims were brought back to Kathmandu after their rescue, and the Indian Embassy arranged for their return to India.
Sharing what the rescued pilgrims recounted, he said, "They told me about exactly what happened to them, how the floods came, and they were very thankful, particularly to the Nepal Army, which made this great effort to get them out of that very difficult place where they were."
Jaishankar mentioned that slightly over 300 Indians are still uncontactable, with the number fluctuating around 315. "Roughly about 85 Indians have been rescued from various places, including this group of 21 people who have just arrived," he said.
Jaishankar affirmed that the Indian government is actively supporting Nepal in its relief efforts and in rescuing people. "We are still very much focused on contacting all the Indians who are there," he added.
"We have given them a range of support offers. They are evaluating it. Whatever they feel is appropriate, they will pick up for their needs. The main thing is that in one place, where there is a hydroelectric project, there could be a possibility of people who may be in a tunnel. So, we are sending a team who are experts in tunnelling," the EAM said.
Two Non-Resident Indian (NRI) women linked to Chhattisgarh have been reported missing following flash floods in Nepal, while two other women from the state who were earlier reported missing have established contact with their families, officials said on Friday.
The Chhattisgarh government has stepped up monitoring and relief efforts for residents of the state who are in Nepal amid the prevailing flood and landslide situation there, they said.
According to the information available so far, the whereabouts of nine people linked to Chhattisgarh have been ascertained. Two of them have established contact with their families, while five residents of Raipur have been confirmed safe and have started their return journey, an official said.
Two NRIs, one each from Bilaspur and Surguja districts, however, have been reported missing, he said.
Priyanka Chaudhary, 39, who hails from Bilaspur and is a citizen of Finland, and Dr Meena Gupta, a native of Surguja and a British citizen, have been reported missing, he said.
Twenty-eight people from Karnataka are stranded or untraced in Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region following flash floods, with four confirmed safe, the state government said on Friday.
In a press release, the Karnataka government said the State Emergency Operations Centre had, as of 5 pm on Friday, collated details of 28 people from the state stranded or untraced in Nepal and the TAR.
"Of the 28 persons, four have been confirmed safe, while search and tracing efforts are underway to locate the remaining 24 persons," it said.
India on Friday dispatched a third tranche of 10 tonnes of relief supplies to flood-ravaged Nepal, alongside an 11-member team of doctors and paramedics, as well as a reconnaissance crew to assess tunnel rescue operations.
"A third flight carrying 10 tonnes of humanitarian assistance has departed for Kathmandu. The assistance includes portable generator sets, dignity kits, food packets and water purification tablets," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said.
"An 11-member team of doctors, paramedics & Recce team for Tunnel rescue operations is also on-board. India continues to support Nepal's ongoing relief and rescue efforts," he said on social media.
A third flight carrying 10 tonnes of humanitarian assistance has departed for Kathmandu.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) August 28, 2026
The assistance includes portable generator sets, dignity kits, food packets and water purification tablets.
An 11-member team of doctors, paramedics & Recce team for Tunnel rescue… pic.twitter.com/PrqCbyoo9D
Early assessments indicate that at least 93,000 people have been affected and are in urgent need of assistance, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the world’s largest humanitarian network.
The organisation warned that the death toll, which has already surpassed 500, is expected to rise further as emergency teams gain access to areas cut off by the disaster.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said that a team for tunnel rescue operations has been sent to Nepal as nearly a hundred people are stranded in a hydropower tunnel.
"Right now, our effort is on supporting Nepal in the relief and rescue of people. Even today I spoke in the morning to the Nepal foreign minister. We have given them a range of support offers and they are evaluating it," he said.
"Right now, the main thing is that in one place where there is a hydroelectric project, there could be possibility of people who may be in a tunnel. So, we are sending a team to help with the experts," he said.
"If they require NDRF people to go, we will send them. We have given them that option," the minister told reporters.
The MEA has earlier said India has offered to send Bailey bridges to Nepal along with associated technical teams so that connectivity can be restored quickly in the areas hit by the floods.
"We await a response from the government of Nepal on this front. We stand ready to offer any assistance that the Nepal authorities might require," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
At least 28 pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh who travelled to Nepal for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra are expected to return to their respective destinations on Friday after completing the pilgrimage and safely crossing a flood-affected area.
Venkatramana, proprietor of the Tirupati-based travel agency that organised the trip, said the group left for Nepal on August 21 and comprised 28 people, all from Andhra Pradesh.
Venkatramana said all 28 pilgrims were safe and that none had suffered injuries or faced any other reported difficulty due to the floods.
Two of the 39 people from West Bengal reported missing following flash floods in Nepal have been found to be safe, and efforts were underway to trace the rest, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Friday.
He held a virtual meeting with the kin of the missing people and said that two members of a family had been contacted by their relatives as well as the state.
They are near Birgunj in Nepal, and arrangements were being made to bring them back, the chief minister said and assured the other worried families that the government was making all efforts to trace their missing kin.
"A total of 39 people were missing. Of them, two of a family could be contacted by their family members and the state government. We could not get in touch with 37 others," he said.
Nepali army teams searched on Friday for more than 100 people trapped inside a hydropower tunnel two days after devastating floods struck the site, as India offered to send a specialised rescue team.
