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.

India’s Ministry of Power have given their go-ahead for exporting power to Nepal to help recover from devastating floods which, among other things, destroyed their hydropower infrastructure and took lives of more than 1,300 people.

The approval paves the way for exporting power for 18 hours a day starting Sept 13 until Dec 31 this year.

Nepal flash floods: What caused the devastation?

“The approval will help Nepal meet its power requirements during this difficult period and further strengthen the close and longstanding energy cooperation between India and Nepal,” stated India’s Power Ministry.

It further informed the quantum of power to be exported from January next year would be reviewed in December.

The Hindu had earlier reported that Kathmandu had asked New Delhi to accord requisite approvals for transmission of electricity earlier than usual.

Nepal usually imports electricity from India during the winter months, starting around October, as power generation is typically low in the Himalayan country during the freezing winter months.

Conversely, the country exports its excess hydropower to India during the summer.

According to official data, India imported 3,299 million units (MUs) of power from Nepal in fiscal year 2025-26 and exported 1,451 MUs to it.

India has sent the first consignment of components for a 70-metre Bailey bridge to Nepal to help restore connectivity in the flood-affected Betrawati area, the Indian envoy in Kathmandu said.

The consignment was handed over to Nepal’s Road Division in Hetauda on Saturday (September 12, 2026), India’s Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava said in a post on X, adding that more consignments of the bridge components would arrive in the coming days.

“This bridge will help restore connectivity in Betrawati area that was affected by the recent flash flood in Nepal,” the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu said in a post on X on Saturday (September 12, 2026).

A Bailey bridge is a portable, pre-fabricated modular steel truss bridge that can be assembled quickly by hand without needing heavy machinery or special tools.

The latest assistance on Saturday (September 12, 2026) is part of India’s ongoing humanitarian support to Nepal following the devastating flash floods that struck the northern and central regions of the Himalayan nation on August 26, killing nearly 1,400 people and leaving more than 5,000 missing as of Sunday.

India has sent more than 130 tonnes of relief material and deployed 54 expert personnel to support Nepal’s rescue, relief and forensic operations, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

New Delhi has also provided specialised tunnel and mud-rescue equipment, DNA kits and forensic equipment, along with essential supplies such as temporary shelters, blankets, hygiene kits, solar lamps and medicines.

The Indian Air Force has operated at least eight special flights to deliver relief supplies, while an Indian tunnel rescue team has been working with the Nepal Army in search operations and a forensic team has been assisting Nepali authorities in identifying the mortal remains of victims.

India has said it remains committed to supporting Nepal’s rescue, relief and recovery efforts following the floods.

India has sent the first consignment of components for a 70-metre Bailey bridge to Nepal to help restore connectivity in the flood-affected Betrawati area, the Indian envoy in Kathmandu said.

The consignment was handed over to Nepal’s Road Division in Hetauda on Saturday (September 12, 2026), India’s Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava said in a post on X, adding that more consignments of the bridge components would arrive in the coming days.

“This bridge will help restore connectivity in Betrawati area that was affected by the recent flash flood in Nepal,” the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu said in a post on X on Saturday (September 12, 2026).

A Bailey bridge is a portable, pre-fabricated modular steel truss bridge that can be assembled quickly by hand without needing heavy machinery or special tools.

The latest assistance on Saturday (September 12, 2026) is part of India’s ongoing humanitarian support to Nepal following the devastating flash floods that struck the northern and central regions of the Himalayan nation on August 26, killing nearly 1,400 people and leaving more than 5,000 missing as of Sunday.

India has sent more than 130 tonnes of relief material and deployed 54 expert personnel to support Nepal’s rescue, relief and forensic operations, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

New Delhi has also provided specialised tunnel and mud-rescue equipment, DNA kits and forensic equipment, along with essential supplies such as temporary shelters, blankets, hygiene kits, solar lamps and medicines.

The Indian Air Force has operated at least eight special flights to deliver relief supplies, while an Indian tunnel rescue team has been working with the Nepal Army in search operations and a forensic team has been assisting Nepali authorities in identifying the mortal remains of victims.

India has said it remains committed to supporting Nepal’s rescue, relief and recovery efforts following the floods.

Chinese officials said on Sunday (September 6, 2026) that workers had recovered 12 more bodies as the search continued for hundreds still ‌missing after a tsunami-like mudslide destroyed China’s main border crossing with Nepal. Rescue workers in bright ​orange uniforms used excavators, shovels and ground-penetrating radar to scour the now-buried site of the Gyirong ⁠border crossing.

The border crossing became a grisly emblem of the devastation that followed the collapse of a glacier on the Nepal side of the border on August 26 after videos showed a black wave of water, mud and debris sweeping over ‌it with little warning.

Reuters and other news agencies visited the land port, which sits in a narrow river gorge, in the first trip organised for international media by China’s foreign ministry ‌on Sunday (September 6, 2026).

The mudslide has killed more than 1,300 people on both sides of the border, with more ‌than ⁠5,000 missing. On the Chinese side, 43 were confirmed dead and 519 remained missing as of ⁠Saturday (September 5, 2026). Among those still unaccounted for were 261 foreigners from 23 countries, officials said.

There was no trace of the five-storey Chinese customs building that had stood at the border before the disaster. The only structure still visible was part of a nearby water tower installation ​in a barren grey-black mud field. Workers had planted ‌a Chinese flag where the nearly 20-metre-tall border gate once stood.

Behind signs warning “Danger Area Pass Quickly”, groups of rescue and recovery workers dug through the debris while red excavators stood nearby.

Fingerprints and tattoos

Officials told visiting reporters that recovery teams were taking fingerprints and recording identifying features such as tattoos as bodies were recovered. ‌They had also collected 993 personal items from the site.

Families and diplomats representing countries with missing nationals ​have privately expressed growing frustration over what they describe as limited information-sharing by China. Beijing has not detailed how it plans to proceed with DNA identification of victims as remains are ⁠recovered, representatives of four governments told Reuters.

Diplomats also said China had not answered questions about whether video from the border crossing, including facial-recognition footage, could be shared with families or used to help identify the dead.

China’s foreign ministry has ‌said its release of information about the floods was “transparent and timely” and that it is ready to work with other countries and agencies.

Hindu pilgrimage site

Once a historic trading hub, Gyirong had become the main crossing for trade and travellers between Nepal and Tibet after a 2015 earthquake damaged an alternative route farther east. China will consider whether it should be built back differently in the wake of the disaster, officials said.

The crossing was closed between July last year and January after an earlier glacial flood. Alongside serving as a gateway for Chinese exports, including ‌electric vehicles, it had become a transit point for Hindu pilgrims travelling through Nepal to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred site ​for both Hindus and Buddhists. Hindus believe it to be the eternal home of Lord Shiva and his wife Parvati.

Many of the foreign nationals still missing in Tibet were pilgrims with ⁠extended families in India, diplomats in Beijing have said. There are 49 Indian citizens among the missing. China has pushed ⁠back against any suggestion that it could have provided any further early warning data before the glacier collapse in Nepal.

Chinese scientists have found more than 3,000 glacial lakes, of which 187 are classified ‌as high-risk and are monitored via remote sensors or on the ground, officials told reporters. “This disaster occurred on the Nepalese side of the border; further international cooperation is required to enhance monitoring and early-warning capabilities,” Norbu ​Tsering, deputy head of the emergency rescue headquarters, said.

Even as they grieve the loss of loved ones and search for missing family members, several survivors of Nepal’s devastating floods have returned to the front lines to help others affected by the disaster.

Sudip Kumar Neupane, 31, survived the August 26 flood that swept away his younger brother and a close colleague.

After spending two days grieving, he joined the relief efforts, helping with the distribution of food and other assistance to displaced people in Rasuwa, The Kathmandu Post newspaper reported on Saturday (September 5, 2026).

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 more than 1,300, while around 5,000 remain missing.

Mr. Neupane had been helping warn villagers about the approaching flood when he was caught in the torrent along with his 27-year-old brother Pradip and an acquaintance, Janak.

The three men were racing back towards safety after being warned that the flood was approaching. The flood struck soon afterwards, sweeping away Pradip and Janak. Neupane survived after running uphill.

After two days of grieving, Mr. Neupane returned to the relief effort as displaced people needed food and shelter and the local government unit was short of staff. “I survived by luck. For as long as I live, I will continue serving society and the people,” he was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

In neighbouring Nuwakot, Suchit Joshi has continued helping with search and rescue efforts while four members of his own family – his wife, seven-year-old daughter, sister-in-law and nephew – remain missing, the OnlineKhabar news portal reported.

During a search operation, Mr. Joshi found his uncle and another nephew. His search then turned into a wider rescue effort, with five people joining his team. The group helped people trapped by the flood and rescued an elderly woman who had been stranded in floodwater in front of her house, taking her to safety.

Mr. Joshi has continued searching for his own relatives, including alongside security personnel. During one search mission, three bodies were recovered from the Trishuli, but they were badly damaged and could not be identified.

Even as he searches for his own loved ones, Mr. Joshi has continued helping others affected by the disaster. “I am enduring it and still continuing with the rescue work,” he was quoted as saying by the news portal.

Around 600 children remain unaccounted for in Nepal’s Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts after the devastating flash floods, as the death toll rose to 1,282 on Friday (September 4, 2026) with more than 4,700 missing.

The 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, leaving a trail of destruction.

Nepal flash floods aftermath updates on September 4, 2026

So far, 359 bodies have been recovered in Chitwan, 218 in Nawalparasi East, 208 in Nawalparasi West, 185 in Nuwakot, 72 in Gorkha, 60 in Dhading, 140 in Rasuwa and 38 in Tanahu, according to Nepal Police.

With two people dying while undergoing treatment in two hospitals in Kathmandu, the death toll has reached 1,282.

The joint command of security forces is searching for 4,798 people missing from different areas.

An estimated 280 children are missing in Rasuwa, and between 300 and 350 others remain unaccounted for in the neighbouring Nuwakot in central Nepal, the Kathmandu Post newspaper reported, citing figures compiled by local Education Development and Coordination Units (EDCUs), local governments, and educational institutions.

Surya Bahadur Khatri, head of the Nuwakot Education Development and Coordination Unit, said, “We are actively liaising with headmasters to collect verified data on missing students, though school heads are struggling to provide exact figures due to broken communications.” “Although a few missing students have been located, new reports of unaccounted-for children continue to arrive from various schools. We estimate that at least 300 pupils are missing in our district.” In Bidur Municipality of Nuwakot alone, roughly 250 children are missing since the floods hit, according to Navaraj Sapkota, school inspector of the municipality’s education unit.

“The situation on the ground is deeply distressing. In some cases, we have located surviving parents who cannot find their children, while in other instances, surviving students are searching for missing parents,” said Mr. Sapkota.

Bidur houses 170 educational institutions—142 community schools and 28 private schools.

In Rasuwa, Durga Prasad Silwal, chief of the local education unit, said that official verification is ongoing but preliminary records indicate that 280 students are currently missing across the district.

The disaster has also taken a toll on teachers and school staff. Education units confirmed that 22 teachers and school staff members remain missing across both districts.

Additionally, several teachers from Dhading and Gorkha who had travelled to Rasuwa for pilgrimage were caught in the deluge and remain missing.

Rasuwa reported 16 missing teachers — 15 from community schools and one from a private institution—while Nuwakot confirmed six missing teachers, according to Kathmandu Post.

Although several bodies of victims have been recovered in downstream districts, authorities have yet to verify the exact number of identified students or teachers.

According to the Ministry of Education data, the floods affected 22 schools across Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading, with 12 institutions completely destroyed, the report said.

News in Frames: Hope hangs in the skies

A trail of ruin: The remains of homes and other buildings are seen buried under mud and debris in a flood-hit area of Nepal.

Clearing the way: Rescue workers and heavy machinery clear mud and debris in a flood-hit area of Nepal, after a devastating flash flood swept through villages in the northern part of the country.

Temporary refuge: A woman feeds a child at a relief camp in Nuwakot. Nepal’s disaster authority said 4,451 people had been rescued so far and search operations are still on.

Emergency care: Nepali Army doctors treat a woman at a field hospital in Battar, Nuwakot, after she was rescued from the Bhotekoshi flood.

Into the field: Nepali Army rescue personnel head towards an airstrip near Nuwakot as teams remain on alert for further flooding after a debris dam burst on August 28.

A long wait: Relatives search lists of missing people outside a hospital in Battar, Nuwakot, on August 28; at least 2,426 people remain missing.

Rescue under way: A helicopter flies rescue missions in Rasuwa district of Nepal where many people have been stranded.

Seeking answers: Relatives give the names of missing family members to officials as the search for survivors continues; among those out of contact are hundreds of foreign nationals.

Tears of relief: A woman becomes emotional at a Nepali Army camp in Nuwakot after being rescued, as her injured husband is taken to Kathmandu for treatment. Her family, originally from western Nepal, ran a hotel in Rasuwa.

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Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan chaired a meeting with Himalayan States and Union Territories on Thursday (September 3, 2026), to review their preparedness to face Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) and snow avalanches, stressing the need for proactive monitoring, risk-informed planning, and stronger early warning systems.

The review meeting comes in the aftermath of the Nepal flash-floods which have claimed the lives of hundreds of people, while thousands remain missing.

The meeting was attended by the Chief Secretaries and State Disaster Management Authorities of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir, along with senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the Central Water Commission (CWC), the India Meteorological Department (IMD), and the Defence Geoinformatics Research Establishment (DGRE).

Evolving threat

Officials reviewed the evolving threat posed by GLOFs in the Himalayan region, focusing on monitoring vulnerable glacial lakes and snow-covered areas, identifying high-risk zones, mapping potential flow paths, improving the dissemination of alerts, evacuation planning, and strengthening emergency response mechanisms, the MHA said.

The States and UTs presented their preparedness and mitigation measures, including monitoring of vulnerable glacial lakes, enhancement of early warning systems, last-mile communication of alerts, community awareness programmes, and deployment of response resources in hazard-prone areas. State-specific vulnerabilities and preparedness plans were also reviewed.

Mr. Mohan emphasised the need for continuous surveillance of vulnerable glacial lakes and avalanche-prone regions, particularly during periods of heightened risk, and called for close coordination among State agencies, district administrations, and scientific institutions to ensure timely action on warnings.

Focus on preventive mitigation

He said that preparedness efforts should move beyond a response-oriented approach and focus on preventive mitigation, risk reduction, and community-level readiness. The Home Secretary also urged States and UTs to regularly assess their preparedness plans, identify gaps in early warning and evacuation systems, and take corrective measures well in advance of any extreme event.

The Centre further asked States to expedite implementation of the GLOF mitigation projects sanctioned in 2024, and directed agencies to strengthen inter-agency coordination and regular sharing of risk information to minimise the loss of life and property in vulnerable Himalayan regions.

Authorities were intensifying rescue efforts after catastrophic flooding in Nepal and Tibet killed at least 900 people and left more than 4,700 missing.

“We are working in search and rescue of the stranded people from hills, settlements and river areas,” said Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet, Nepal’s army spokesman.

Nepal flash floods updates on August 31, 2026

Multiple foreign teams were also assisting local rescuers to find trapped workers in hydropower tunnels. Officials say at least 90 people are trapped in multiple tunnels of hydropower plants.

Nepal’s disaster agency said Monday (August 31, 2026) that 903 deaths had been counted in that country, with 4,247 people, including 592 foreigners, missing. As of Sunday (August 30, 2026), Chinese authorities reported 16 deaths and 546 missing, and Chinese state media said 261 of the missing were foreigners, including over a hundred Nepalis.

Wednesday’s (August 19, 2026) flash floods started after a glacial collapse high in the Himalayan region. Scientists who studied satellite images said bedrock underneath a glacier high in the Himalayan region had collapsed, taking part of the glacier with it. The rockfall was so extreme that it registered as a magnitude 5.2 seismic event.

The rocks and melted water then swelled the rivers in the valleys below, causing a torrent of water that swept buildings, bridges and earth downstream in Tibet and Nepal.

News in Frames: Hope hangs in the skies

A trail of ruin: The remains of homes and other buildings are seen buried under mud and debris in a flood-hit area of Nepal.

Clearing the way: Rescue workers and heavy machinery clear mud and debris in a flood-hit area of Nepal, after a devastating flash flood swept through villages in the northern part of the country.

Temporary refuge: A woman feeds a child at a relief camp in Nuwakot. Nepal’s disaster authority said 4,451 people had been rescued so far and search operations are still on.

Emergency care: Nepali Army doctors treat a woman at a field hospital in Battar, Nuwakot, after she was rescued from the Bhotekoshi flood.

Into the field: Nepali Army rescue personnel head towards an airstrip near Nuwakot as teams remain on alert for further flooding after a debris dam burst on August 28.

A long wait: Relatives search lists of missing people outside a hospital in Battar, Nuwakot, on August 28; at least 2,426 people remain missing.

Rescue under way: A helicopter flies rescue missions in Rasuwa district of Nepal where many people have been stranded.

Seeking answers: Relatives give the names of missing family members to officials as the search for survivors continues; among those out of contact are hundreds of foreign nationals.

Tears of relief: A woman becomes emotional at a Nepali Army camp in Nuwakot after being rescued, as her injured husband is taken to Kathmandu for treatment. Her family, originally from western Nepal, ran a hotel in Rasuwa.

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