Deadly floods in Nepal! At least 800 missing - Milliyet
Milliyet AppUygulamayı AçWebWeb'de Devam Et ENDeadly floods in Nepal! At least 800 missingNewsDeadly Floods İn Nepal! At Least 800 MissingDeadly floods in Nepal! At least 800 missing27.08.2026 - 10:25 | Last Updated: 27.08.2026 - 10:25
Severe floods in the region along the Nepal-China border have virtually swallowed up villages and people.
As the death toll from the disaster rose to 162, it was reported that at least 800 people are still missing; rescue teams are continuing search and rescue operations using helicopters and drones.
According to local media reports, the flood may have been caused by the breakage of a large ice mass from a Himalayan glacier located approximately 20 kilometers northeast of the Rasuwa-Rasuwagadhi border crossing.
According to a report byThe Himalayan Times based on satellite imagery, the broken-off ice and rock fragments carried tons of material into the Bhotekoshi River. As the river overflowed its banks, nearby villages and trekking routes were submerged by floodwaters.
While the Nepalese government has begun efforts to relocate citizens displaced by the disaster to other areas, military units and private helicopter companies have also been involved in search and rescue operations.
It has been reported that the Nepalese Army and private helicopter operators have so far airlifted 114 people to safe areas. Search and rescue teams are continuing their efforts using both helicopters and drones.
Among the regions hardest hit by the disaster, Chitwan in the Bagmati province stood out. It was reported that 64 people lost their lives there.
Chitwan was followed by the neighboring Dhading district with 27 fatalities and Nawalparasi East with 22 fatalities. The Nepal Police announced that 28 police officers are still missing.
Concerns have been heightened by the fact that a large number of foreign tourists are among those reported missing in the flood disaster.
According to initial reports, the missing tourists include more than 100 Indian citizens, 54 U.S. citizens, 34 Australian citizens, and 33 British citizens.
Authorities note that search and rescue operations in mountainous and hard-to-reach areas are proceeding with difficulty due to challenging conditions.
The disaster did not only result in loss of life; the region’s transportation infrastructure also sustained severe damage.
According to initial assessments, the floods destroyed 19 bridges, and a approximately 40-kilometer section of a critical highway has become impassable.
The disruption of transportation routes is making it particularly difficult to reach stranded individuals and deliver relief supplies to the region.
Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal stated that the floods have caused “extreme damage” in numerous areas, emphasizing that the information currently available consists only of preliminary assessments.
Khanal called on residents living along the banks of the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers to be especially cautious. A warning was issued that the risk remains high in the Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha, and Chitwan regions.
The Nepalese government also declared the Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading regions “disaster crisis zones” for a period of three months.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority requested that helicopter and drone operators coordinate their search and rescue operations with regional administrations, security forces, and local authorities.
Stranded citizens were advised to light fires and create smoke signals to indicate their location to rescue teams.
International relief efforts also began in the wake of the disaster. Nepal’s Ministry of Finance announced that it had quickly coordinated with India, China, and the World Bank to provide financial support for search and rescue, relief, and reconstruction efforts in the flood-affected regions.
While officials are racing against time to locate the missing, they are also working to reestablish transportation links that have been cut off due to destroyed bridges and roads.
