Himalayan flood toll climbs to 750 across Nepal, Tibet
Shafaq News- Kathmandu/ Beijing
The death toll from the Aug. 26 Himalayan flood across Nepal and China’s Tibet region reached 750, with 3,044 people still missing, authorities said on Sunday.
Nepal has recorded 734 deaths, 2,498 missing, and 7,514 rescued, according to the country’s disaster authority. In Tibet’s Gyirong County, Chinese authorities put the toll at 16 dead and 546 missing as of Saturday evening.
रसुवा जिल्लामा आएको बाढी सम्बन्धी अपडेट (मितिः २०८३/०५/१४ गते ०८:०० बजेसम्म) pic.twitter.com/8KtHHH7Ct1
— Nepal Police (@NepalPoliceHQ) August 30, 2026
Heavy rainfall and rising rivers forced rescue teams to higher ground, disrupting operations several times since Friday. Concerns also persist over a lake formed by a mudslide after Wednesday’s glacier collapse along the Nepal-China border, which could unleash further flooding.
The Red Cross estimates that more than 90,000 people have been affected.
Among those missing in Tibet are 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries, including 104 Nepalese, 49 Indians, 33 Latvians, 18 Americans, and 15 Britons, according to the first nationality breakdown released by Chinese authorities.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV linked the disaster to “glacier instability under the long-term effects of global warming.” Scientists cited by the broadcaster estimated that the mudslide originated in Nepal and reached the Gyirong border crossing within six to seven minutes, with surveillance footage showing water and debris sweeping through buildings as people fled.
Beijing has deployed more than 2,100 rescue workers and allocated at least 220 million yuan ($32.7M) for relief efforts, while providing Nepal with emergency funding, supplies, satellite and hydrological data, and tunnel rescue specialists.
