More than 1,300 missing and at least 165 dead after Himalayan glacial flood

Rescue teams in Nepal and Tibet are searching for more than 1,300 people after a catastrophic glacial collapse triggered flash floods in the Himalayas, authorities said on August 27, 2026. At least 165 people have been confirmed dead so far, and hundreds of domestic and foreign tourists are among the missing.

Widespread destruction along the Bhote Koshi valley

Officials reported that 162 bodies have been recovered in Nepal and three in China. Nepal's disaster management agency on Thursday published a first country-level tally of the missing, listing 823 people as unaccounted for; Chinese state media Xinhua said 558 people were missing in Tibet — a figure more than double the 265 reported the previous day.

Rescuers are working through water, mud and rock debris to reach flooded buildings and isolated settlements. Emergency services in Nepal said at least 579 domestic and foreign tourists are among the missing, and the tourism ministry had earlier said at least 393 foreigners were unaccounted for. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said of the 558 missing in Tibet, 260 are foreigners.

The Himalayan Glacier tour company said an entire trekking group was among those unaccounted for. Company director Sanket Pande gave the group's composition: 15 Australians, 10 Canadians, 9 Nepalese, 8 American citizens, 2 British, 2 Singaporeans and one person with American and Russian citizenship. "So far, they are still listed as missing," Pande said, adding that his team was checking hospitals where victims had been taken.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday that a total of 34 Australian citizens are listed as missing. Germany's foreign ministry said there was "no information so far about German citizens among those affected," and staff at the German embassy in Kathmandu are maintaining close contact with local authorities.

Environmental historian Ruth Gamble of La Trobe University described the avalanche of mud and rock as moving "like a tsunami" for nearly 170 kilometres down the Bhote Koshi river valley — a route popular with trekkers traveling from Kathmandu to Lhasa. "Entire villages have been wiped off the face of the earth," said David Fisher, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Nepal.

Chinese authorities in Tibet have deployed around 800 rescuers along with about 150 vehicles, boats and sniffer dogs. The Nepalese army is also taking part in search-and-rescue operations, using aircraft to evacuate people from affected areas.

Photo: press material from the event