Nepal-China flash flood death toll rises to 1,428
12:35, 11/09/2026, FridayU: Update: 12:39, 11/09/2026, Friday
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Nepalese Army personnel preapre to carry 64-year-old Chandrika Shrestha on a stretcher after she was airlifted to an Army hospital in Kathmandu for treatment following her rescue from a house in Betravati Bazaar, Nuwakot district, Nepal, on September 5, 2026, 11 days after devastating flash floods struck Rasuwa and surrounding areas near the Nepal-China border on August 26.Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said Thursday that the death toll from flash floods and mudslides along the China border has climbed to 1,428, with rescue teams searching for 5,649 people still missing two weeks after a glacier fractured on Mount Langtang Lirung.
Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said Thursday that confirmed fatalities from the Aug. 26 disaster have reached 1,428, with 1,385 deaths recorded in Nepal and 43 in China's Xizang Autonomous Region, according to Anadolu Agency. The authority reported that 5,130 people remain unaccounted for in Nepal, while Chinese officials list 519 missing in the southwestern region also known as Tibet, bringing the total number of missing to 5,649.
Glacier collapse causes devastation
The catastrophe began on Aug. 26 when a glacier on Nepal's Mount Langtang Lirung fractured at approximately 5,200 meters (17,060 feet), triggering an ice-rock avalanche that developed into a massive debris flow. Floodwaters and mudslides subsequently devastated Nepal's Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading and Kavre districts alongside the Kathmandu Valley, while on the Chinese side the deluge buried the Gyirong border crossing in Xizang.
Foreigners among victims
Among the thousands still missing, 848 are foreign nationals — 587 in Nepal and 261 in Tibet. Authorities have not released specific nationalities of the victims. Search and recovery operations have continued for more than two weeks since the glacier collapsed, with teams working in both Nepal's mountain districts and the Xizang Autonomous Region.