The death toll from last month’s devastating flash floods in Nepal crossed 1,450 on Sunday (September 20, 2026), as the Himalayan nation continues to reel from the aftereffects of the disaster.

In a statement, Nepal Police said the death toll of the August 26 flash floods has reached 1,451, with more bodies recovered from affected areas.

Originating near the Nepal-Tibet border, the floods devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal. The Bhotekoshi River, which flows south from the Himalayan border region, carried the floodwaters downstream, sweeping away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges and damaging hydropower projects.

Kalpana Thapa Magar, 43, who was displaced by flash floods and mudslides, looks at a part of her damaged house that was swept away by the flood in Betrawati, Nuwakot district, Nepal, September 9, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters

The floods also killed 43 people on the Chinese side, where more than 500 remain missing, according to Chinese media.

In Nepal’s Chitwan district, 367 dead bodies were recovered; 236 bodies were recovered from Rasuwa; 232 from Nawalparasi East and 222 from Nawalparasi West, the police statement said.

Similarly, 203 bodies were recovered from Nuwakot, 79 bodies from Gorkha, 72 bodies from Dhading and 38 bodies from Tanahu, it said.

Two flood victims also died in Kathmandu hospitals while undergoing treatment.

So far, 13,784 people affected by the flood have been rescued from across the country.

Nepal Police has estimated that around 6,000 people continue to remain missing after the flood.

The search for those missing in Nepal has continued across river stretches, debris fields and damaged hydropower projects in Rasuwa and neighbouring districts.

The country is also reeling from the aftermath of the floods, which left large parts of the affected region struggling with damaged roads and bridges.

Identifying the dead has also emerged as a major challenge, with only around 110 of the total bodies recovered being handed over to families after identification so far, authorities said.

Bodies recovered after being swept downstream have often been severely damaged, decomposed or recovered only in parts, making identification by face, clothing or personal belongings difficult, officials said.

So far, nearly 1,300 bodies have been temporarily buried after their DNA samples were collected, officials said.

An early warning system for disasters will be implemented as a “top priority” in Nepal, said Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Saturday (September 19, 2026).

The Bhotekoshi flash floods, triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal, killing over 1,400 people and leaving over 6,000 missing as of Friday (September 18, 2026).

Experts believe many lives would have been saved if they had proper warning.

Speaking at a Constitution Day programme at Tundikel Open Ground on Saturday (September 19, 2026), PM Shah said, “Special emphasis will be laid on risk reduction, preparedness, and response. The disaster early warning system will be implemented as a top priority.” PM Shah also expressed gratitude to all friendly nations, the international community and organisations, private sector, civil servants and the people of the country who assisted in disaster management, noting that the “loss and damage caused by the Bhotekoshi flood were unimaginable and irreparable for us”.

Speaking about the country’s economy, the Prime Minister said that the government would work to promote innovation and entrepreneurship and the creation of a knowledge-based economy by integrating artificial intelligence, digital technology and cyber security.

Citing the Digital Governance Action Plan, Mr. Shah said that the good governance demanded by the youth would also be ensured through technology. Stating that good governance, development, prosperity and social justice are the aspirations of citizens, he said, “The government’s each step is, and will remain, directed towards realising these very aspirations.”

The Prime Minister said that competitive multi-party democracy, human rights and the rule of law are the foundations of national life. “This Constitution has made one promise before the Nepali citizen that is building an equitable society based on unity amidst diversity, an end to all forms of discrimination, on development, prosperity and social justice,” he said.

“The federal government is committed to achieving the shared goal of national development based on cooperation, coexistence, and coordination among the federal, provincial, and local levels,” Mr. Shah said.

Eleven years ago, on Ashwin 3, 2072 (Bikram Sambat calendar), Nepal promulgated its new Constitution, which typically corresponds to mid-September on the Gregorian calendar.

A tunnel rescue team from India has reached Nepal on Saturday (August 29, 2026) to help the ongoing search-and-rescue operations in the aftermath of the flash floods, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. In its latest move, India has sent three aircraft carrying relief materials to Nepal since the disaster hit Bhote Kosi river region on August 26. The MEA has stated that at least 287 Indians remain missing as on Saturday (August 29, 2026) and in addition, 128 persons of Indian origin are also missing following the disaster.

Besides, six Indian teams of forensic experts are expected to reach Nepal during the weekend, the MEA has said. These experts will work on the ground to identify mortal remains that are being recovered in the disaster-hit areas.

India had on Friday (August 28) sent a recce team for tunnel rescue operations that are urgently required to help people who are trapped in multiple under-construction hydropower project sites. The tunnel rescue team with specific machineries have been sent as per the recommendations of the recce team.

In Kathmandu, Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the country’s government “is making every attempt to locate local and foreign nationals” who were affected by the disaster. The MEA said that four Indian nationals — Ripu Kumar, Chaneshwar Narzary, Kripa Shankar, Mohammed Minhajuddin — were rescued from a hydropower project site in Rasuwa district on Saturday (August 29).

Heavy rains triggered landslips and flash floods, blocking roads, washing away bridges and killing at least 22 people in the last 36 hours in Nepal, officials said on Sunday (October 5, 2025).

Eighteen people were killed in separate landslips in the Ilam district in the east bordering India, police spokesperson Binod Ghimire said. Three people were killed in southern Nepal in lightning strikes, and one person died in floods in Udayapur district, also in East Nepal, he said.

Eleven people were washed away by floods and have been missing since Saturday (October 4, 2025), authorities said. “Rescue efforts for them are going on,” Shanti Mahat, a National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) spokesperson, told Reuters.

Several highways have been blocked by landslips and washed away by floods, stranding hundreds of passengers, authorities said. “Domestic flights are largely disrupted but international flights are operating normally,” Rinji Sherpa, a spokesperson for Kathmandu airport said.

In southeastern Nepal, the Koshi River, which causes deadly floods in the eastern Indian state of Bihar almost every year, was flowing above the danger level, a district official said. Dharmendra Kumar Mishra, district Governor of Sunsari district, said water flows in the Koshi River were more than double normal.

Mr. Mishra said all 56 sluice gates of the Koshi Barrage had been opened to drain out water compared with about 10 to 12 during a normal situation, adding that authorities are “preparing to ban heavy vehicles from its bridge”.

In hill-ringed Kathmandu, several rivers have flooded roads and inundated many houses, cutting the temple-studded capital off from the rest of the country by road.

Hundreds of people die every year in landslips and flash floods that are common in mostly Nepal during the monsoon season which normally starts in mid-June and continues through mid-September.

Weather officials say rains are likely to lash the Himalayan nation until Monday (October 6, 2025), and authorities say they are taking “maximum care and precautions” to help people affected by the disaster.