Nepal-China border floods death toll reaches 1,375
13:15, 05/09/2026, SaturdayU: Update: 13:18, 05/09/2026, Saturday
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Buildings damaged and partially destroyed by catastrophic floods are seen along the Trishuli River in the Betrawati-Tupche area of Nuwakot, Nepal, on September 3, 2026. Nepal's disaster authority said the death toll from flash floods and mudslides along the Chinese border has climbed to 1,375, while rescue teams continue searching for more than 5,500 people still unaccounted for ten days after the glacier collapse.
Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority announced on Saturday that the death toll from devastating flash floods and mudslides along the China border has reached 1,375, with 5,531 people still missing ten days after a glacier fractured high in the Himalayas.
Cross-border casualties
The authority said 1,344 people were killed in Nepal alone, while 5,000 others — including 589 foreigners — remained unaccounted for across the affected regions. Chinese authorities reported at least 31 fatalities in the southwestern Xizang Autonomous Region, commonly known as Tibet, where 531 people were still missing according to official data compiled from both sides.
Glacier collapse devastates mountain valleys
The catastrophe began on August 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 rapidly developed into a massive debris flow. The surge swept through valleys along the Nepal-China frontier, devastating Nepal's Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading and Kavre districts, as well as the Kathmandu Valley, while also burying the Gyirong border crossing in Xizang under tons of debris.