Himalayan flood kills 550+ across Nepal, Tibet
Shafaq News- Kathmandu/ Beijing
Nepal and China resumed rescue operations in the flood-hit Himalayas on Friday after the threat from an overflowing lake eased, with 552 people dead and over 1,000 still missing.
Wednesday’s flooding, triggered by a glacier collapse, killed 547 people in Nepal and five in Tibet and injured 1,473 others in Nepal.
#Update रसुवा जिल्लामा आएको बाढी सम्बन्धी अपडेटमितिः २०८३/०५/१२ गते १५:०० बजेसम्म pic.twitter.com/ZDsmxhDvTY
— Nepal Police (@NepalPoliceHQ) August 28, 2026
The collapse unleashed rock, ice, mud, and debris through Himalayan river systems, creating a lake whose rising waters temporarily halted rescue efforts over fears of further flooding. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that operations in Gyirong resumed by noon once the risk was considered manageable.
The disaster swept through villages and valleys, destroying power stations, roads, and bridges along a route linking Kathmandu with Lhasa that is widely used by trekkers and pilgrims.
At least 540 of those missing are foreign nationals, many of them Indian Hindu pilgrims traveling to Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar in Tibet. India’s Ministry of External Affairs put the number of missing Indian nationals at 320 on Friday, with others evacuated from affected areas.
In Tibet’s Gyirong County, 558 people were still unaccounted for as of Thursday, including 260 foreign nationals, CCTV reported.
The Red Cross estimated that more than 90,000 people have been affected, while relief deliveries were disrupted after the barrier lake overflowed and blocked trucks carrying emergency supplies.
