SCENES THAT LEAVE YOU COLD
Chinese government immigration office at Rasuwagadhi border crossing in CHINESE OCCUPIED TIBET swept away.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out efforts to search and rescue people who are missing after the "mudslide" in China controlled… pic.twitter.com/EiXvyVtqBo

— Rahul Shivshankar (@RShivshankar) August 26, 2026

AT LEAST 19 people have been killed by a devastating flood that tore through the Nepal-Tibet border region today.

CCTV footage showed a deluge of muddy water washing violently through a border crossing. Other footage showed floodwater surging through a river in Nepal, sweeping away houses in its path. 

“Nineteen bodies have been recovered so far. We are intensely coordinating the rescue and relief efforts. Many in our police force are also out of contact,” Nepalese police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle told AFP.

Over 380 tourists, mostly foreigners, are missing. 

The Bhotekoshi River flooded at around 9am on Wednesday, destroying several villages as well as roads and hydropower projects, officials said.

भोटेकोसी नदी रसुवामा तिब्बत तर्फबाट ठुलो बाढी प्रवेश गरेकोले अर्को सूचना नआउँदासम्म त्रीशुली नदीको तटिय क्षेत्रका जिल्लाहरु नुवाकोट, धादिङ, चितवन, गोरखा लगायतका स्थानहरूमा उच्च सतर्कता सहित सुरक्षित स्थानमा रहन अनुरोध छ। pic.twitter.com/Zun6icZZCM

— Nepal Police (@NepalPoliceHQ) August 26, 2026

The Nepalese Tourism Board said an initial report from tourism and travel companies identified 384 travellers, including 291 foreign nationals and 93 Nepali nationals were missing, noting authorities were working to verify the travellers’ whereabouts.

The embassies of Australia, Finland, France, Norway, Switzerland and United Kingdom and the Delegation of the European Union in Nepal have released a joint statement encouraging people to follow the guidance of local authorities. 

“We are deeply saddened by the devastating flooding in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts and surrounding areas,”they said.

“Our thoughts are with all those affected by this disaster. We express our solidarity with the people of Nepal during this difficult time.”

The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs has been contacted for comment. 

The flood hit Syabrubesi, the starting point to the popular Langtang trek as well as other areas used by travellers for Hindu pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar.

A police spokesman told AFP earlier that authorities did not know the extent of the damage but said they had “alerted people who are staying near the riverside to relocate”.

Officials issued warnings to residents of several of Nepal’s districts and asked them to stay away from the banks of Bhotekoshi, Trishuli and Narayani rivers.

“We have asked both India and China to help us with the rescue efforts,” said Sasmit Pokharel, a spokesman for the Nepali government.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi said his government was assisting with the rescue effort. 

In this difficult time, the people of India stand in solidarity with their sisters and brothers in Nepal.

“India is prepared to provide Nepal with all possible types of humanitarian assistance,” he said in a post on X.

“Our teams are closely coordinating on rescue and relief efforts.”

The worst affected area, Rasuwa district, witnessed similar flash floods to those in August last year, when a glacial lake in neighbouring Tibet overflowed as a result of high temperatures in the mountain region.

Climate experts at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development say an avalanche from a glacier likely caused Wednesday’s flash flood.

The Lhende Khola River, a tributary of the Bhotekoshi River, witnessed maximum flooding on Wednesday, they said.

“The Lhende Khola has flooded twice in 14 months, this time triggered by an ice rock avalanche from a glacier on the Nepal side that blocked the river and released a sudden surge downstream,” said Saswata Sanyal, a disaster risk reduction specialist at the climate research group.

“In a warming Himalaya, early warning is the first line of adaptation,” he added.

The Himalayan region, which crosses Nepal and several nearby countries including India, is especially vulnerable to heavy rains, floods and landslides because the area is warming up faster than the rest of the world because of human-caused climate change.

With reporting from AFP and Press Association