Three months before a wall of water, mud and rock killed hundreds when it hurtled down a Himalayan valley bordering Nepal and China, experts and officials from both countries met in Kathmandu to discuss the risk of such disasters.

At the May 27 meeting in Nepal's capital, 10 officials from Nepal and about a dozen from China, including the Tibet region where the disaster struck, discussed strengthening cooperation to monitor and respond to floods, weather and glacier-related hazards, according to an agenda prepared by the Nepali side and seen by Reuters.

The participants called for joint risk-reduction measures, including inventories of glacial lakes and hazard mapping.

(Reuters)

Specialised team from India for Tunnel Search & Rescue operation worked with the Nepali Army’s team at hydropower tunnel sites in Chilime and Langtang area today. The team will continue to conduct search and rescue operations in close coordination with the Nepali Army
🇮🇳🤝🇳🇵… pic.twitter.com/H7UcIoNxN4

— Naveen Srivastava, Ambassador of India in Nepal (@navsri6619) August 30, 2026

Naveen Srivastava, the Indian ambassador to Nepal, has met the Indian forensic team that will help in the analysis of DNA samples of flash flood victims in Rasuwa.

Met the members of Indian Forensic Team that arrived on 4th relief flight to Kathmandu. They will be working with their Nepali counterparts to support the analysis of DNA samples of those who lost their lives in the tragic flash flood in #Rasuwa.
India will continue to strongly… pic.twitter.com/z7pQCyF4Ns

— Naveen Srivastava, Ambassador of India in Nepal (@navsri6619) August 30, 2026

More than 100 workers are believed to be trapped inside multiple hydropower tunnels in Nepal.

The Nepali army inserted a pipe into one of the tunnels at the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric site late on Saturday and started sending air through it. Overnight rain and rising river waters, however, have hampered rescue efforts at that site.

Those trapped were among 933 missing workers from hydropower projects on the rivers.

India, which has extensive experience in such rescues, has sent an 11-person specialised team, while China has also sent a nine-person tunnel team to help.

About 100 of the nearly 319 individuals who travelled from Tamil Nadu through to Nepal were still untraceable and missing following the flash floods there, state minister A Rajmohan has said. As many as 219 persons are safe and secure, the Minister for Information added.

The Nepal flood death count has increased to 734, while the number of missing has risen to 2,498, as per the disaster authority.

The burial pits are being dug to a depth of 1.5 metres to ensure the bodies can be easily exhumed later. A 40-centimetre gap has been maintained between them to ensure that only the specific body identified via DNA matching can be retrieved.

The bodies are being packed into bags with an identification number. A concrete platform with a signboard is being constructed at each burial site that will display the body's identification number.

Plans are also in place to document the burial process through video and photography and to geo-tag the burial site.

People looking for their missing relatives will be required to provide DNA samples at various hospitals across the country. Once the DNA test results are available, Nepal's health department will match them with the DNA from the bodies to identify the specific body number. Based on that number, the police will consult the records to determine the exact location where the body was buried.

The bodies will then be exhumed and handed over to them.

The police have also uploaded details of unidentified and unclaimed bodies on a website.

रसुवा जिल्ला भोटेकोशीमा आएको बाढीबाट प्रभावित "पहिचान नखुलेका तथा बेवारिसे शव" सम्बन्धी विवरणहरूका लागि QR Scan वा https://t.co/pnKPe51ZdI हेर्न सक्नुहुन्छ ।#नेपालप्रहरी #NepalPolice #BelieveInBlue #ToServeandProtect pic.twitter.com/o8OqgBGhr6

— Nepal Police (@NepalPoliceHQ) August 29, 2026

According to officials, 2,426 people, including hundreds of foreigners, are still missing in Nepal.

The officials have been collecting DNA samples from the bodies before burying them. 

They are also maintaining records using identification or reference numbers to facilitate possible identification in the future.

Each body has a unique identification number with its location tag so that relatives can exhume them once DNA matches. 

By Saturday afternoon, DNA profiling for over 100 bodies had been completed, and they were ready for burial.

Nepal has said it will start burying unidentified and unclaimed bodies recovered after the devastating flash floods tore through the country this week, citing the risk of infection and the deteriorating condition of the remains.

At least 675 bodies have so far been recovered since the tsunami-like rumble of water and mud struck villages and towns on Wednesday morning. Chitwan, a district in the south that borders India, recovered the most number of bodies at 233.

Chitwan has been struggling to prevent the corpses from decomposing due to a lack of adequate space and facilities at hospitals. The authorities in the district on Saturday decided to bury the bodies after health experts warned that the increasing decomposition and foul smell from the bodies kept under temporary arrangements could increase the risk of infection.

"As the number of dead bodies piled up, we used a house as a cooling centre where the bodies were kept," an official said.

"As the house also ran out of space, we had no alternative but to bury them," the official added.

Nepal has warned of rising flood waters and urged rescue teams to exercise caution, as efforts to retrieve victims from areas devastated by a deadly torrent of icy debris and water entered a fifth day today.

"We have received information that the flood flow in the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa has increased further," the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said in a warning issued at 7:20 am (0135 GMT).

"Therefore, all personnel engaged in search, rescue, and relief operations, those in riverside areas, and everyone else in affected areas including Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, and Chitwan are requested to exercise caution," it added.

The United States has said it was providing $3.6 million in humanitarian aid to Nepal.

"The United States is standing with the people of Nepal by providing more than $3.6 million worth of life-saving humanitarian assistance, including up to three months of emergency food assistance to up to 10,000 flood-affected households," the State Department said in a post on X.

Figures from Nepal and Tibet have put the total number of missing close to 3,000, with 682 bodies recovered.

Nepal said there are 2,426 people, including hundreds of foreigners, who are out of contact in the country, and reported an updated death count of 675 people late on Saturday.

China's state Xinhua news agency said on Saturday that 554 people were missing, and seven people had been killed in Tibet.

New Delhi has sent a fourth tranche of 11 tonnes of relief materials to Nepal on board a C-130J military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the aircraft also carried a technical contingent along with equipment for search and rescue operations as well as a team of forensic experts for DNA analysis along with forensic equipment.

The 4th flight from 🇮🇳 with 11 tonne assistance is now airborne. The @IAF_MCC C-130 aircraft is carrying:

➡️ A Tunnel technical contingent along with equipment for search & rescue operations.

➡️ A team of Forensics experts for DNA analysis along with Forensic equipment.

➡️… pic.twitter.com/XmUJQQ1muJ

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) August 29, 2026

The forensic team will help Nepalese authorities in identifying mortal remains of those killed in Wednesday's flash floods.

Additionally, 16 trucks carrying equipment for a 230-foot 'Single Lane Modular Steel Bridge' have reached Nepal, Jaishankar said in a post on X.

"Equipment for installation of seven more Bailey bridges will be supplied soon. Technical teams for their installation are expected to reach shortly," he added.

The 4th flight from 🇮🇳 with 11 tonne assistance is now airborne. The @IAF_MCC C-130 aircraft is carrying:

➡️ A Tunnel technical contingent along with equipment for search & rescue operations.

➡️ A team of Forensics experts for DNA analysis along with Forensic equipment.

➡️… pic.twitter.com/XmUJQQ1muJ

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) August 29, 2026

India has so far sent a total of 68.5 tonnes of relief materials to Nepal.

Indians remained missing while 108 others were rescued following the devastating flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border four days back, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said. It said 128 persons of Indian origin have also been uncontactable.

The MEA said that 598 Indian nationals have safely crossed over Nepal from China in the last two days, while around 900 Indians are still on the Chinese side but are "safe and contactable".

Update on Indian Nationals impacted by the floods in Nepal ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Dykp0wgh6d

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) August 29, 2026

"The 4th flight from India with 11 tonne assistance is now airborne," says External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

The 4th flight from 🇮🇳 with 11 tonne assistance is now airborne. The @IAF_MCC C-130 aircraft is carrying:

➡️ A Tunnel technical contingent along with equipment for search & rescue operations.

➡️ A team of Forensics experts for DNA analysis along with Forensic equipment.

➡️… pic.twitter.com/XmUJQQ1muJ

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) August 29, 2026

I just spoke to eight people from Assam who have been safely rescued in Nepal, thanks to the dedicated efforts of Shri @Varun_CGCorp Ji.

Pankaj Verma, Samar Bezbaruah, Gautam Das, Gopal Debnath, Soneswar Narzary, Sarbison Marak, Silva Marak and Elphison Sangma are safe and will… https://t.co/daeNLISw5U

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) August 29, 2026

India has safely rescued 108 Indian nationals from flood-affected regions in Nepal, and contact has been re-established with 50 others, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

A total of 598 Indians have safely crossed into Nepal from China, according to local government authorities, it added.

The number of reported missing Indian nationals has fallen to 275, while 128 persons of Indian origin remain unaccounted for as rescue and tracing efforts continue.

Flood fears increased in Bihar on Saturday as persistent rains in Nepal and the state pushed water levels above danger marks in several rivers, already swollen by flash floods in the neighbouring Himalayan nation earlier this week.
According to the Water Resources Department, the Gandak river has breached the danger mark in Gopalganj, with a barrage on the river in Valmikinagar releasing around 99,800 cusecs of water at 8 pm on Saturday.

Wednesday's flash flood in Nepal, triggered by an ice-rock landslide, has led administrations in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to step up monitoring of their river systems downstream of the rivers of the Himalayan nation.

"The water level of several rivers, including the Gandak, Kosi, Burhi Gandak and the Ganga, has been rising. Incessant rainfall in the catchment areas of Nepal has led to rivers touching or flowing above the danger level at several places," a senior official of the Water Resources Department said on Saturday.

(PTI)

Nepal's meteorology department on Saturday warned of fresh rainfall and thunderstorms in the country's flash flood-affected areas, threatening to disrupt ongoing rescue and relief operations amid the worsening crisis, according to a media report.

Nepal's Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said in a press conference that the situation was being closely monitored and the country remained on “high alert”.

A massive torrent of water, mud and debris swept through central Nepal on Wednesday, devastating towns and villages, washing away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges, and damaging hydropower projects.

The Nepal government has intensified efforts to rescue workers trapped inside the Trishuli 3 'A' Hydropower Project tunnel in Rasuwa.

The rescue team sent by India has arrived in Trishuli and conducted an initial aerial reconnaissance of the Chilime and Langtang areas via helicopter to plan further operational steps, the office of Nepal PM said in a post on X.

रसुवास्थित त्रिशूली ३ 'ए' जलविद्युत् आयोजनाको टनेलभित्र फसेका मानिसहरूको उद्धारका लागि सरकारले विगत दुई दिनदेखि प्रयास जारी राखेको छ। सोही क्रममा शनिबार बिहानैदेखि सुरुङको मुख खोल्ने कार्यलाई थप तीव्र पारिएको छ।

​टनेलभित्र मानिसहरू फसेको गुनासो आएपछि सरकारले प्राथमिकताका साथ… pic.twitter.com/TAzKf6vPyI

— PMO (@PM_nepal_) August 29, 2026

Nepal's reconstruction bill after devastating floods could run into "billions of dollars", Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said Saturday, as authorities grapple with the scale of the destruction.

"The reconstruction and rehabilitation would entail perhaps billions of dollars," he told reporters in Kathmandu.

"We will do loss and damage research and then we plan, but I am reaching out to our international community for support".

Three days after the disaster, Khanal said "the urgency is on rescue and saving lives as much as we can", but the scale of the disaster was already stretching the government's capacity.

Nepali army rescue teams were using drilling equipment on Saturday in a race to rescue more than 100 people trapped inside hydropower tunnels, three days after devastating floods struck the site.

"The government has been continuing efforts... to rescue people trapped inside the tunnel of the Trishuli 3A Hydropower Project in Rasuwa," the office of Nepal's prime minister said in a statement.

"As part of these efforts, work to clear the tunnel entrance has been intensified since early Saturday morning," it said.

Those trapped are among 933 missing people who work on hydropower projects on the rivers where a wall of water swept down on Wednesday morning, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.

Nepal flash floods death count rises to 676, nearly 3,000 people missing.

The number of people missing in the catastrophic flood that sliced through the border area between Nepal and Tibet neared 3,000 on Saturday, as rescuers scoured deep, leg-sucking mud for survivors.

Figures from Nepal and from Chinese authorities in charge of Tibet put the total number of missing close to 3,000, with 633 bodies recovered.

Nepal says there are 2,426 people, including hundreds of foreigners, who are out of contact in the country. It reported a death toll of 626 people on Saturday.

Nepal's meteorology department has reportedly warned of fresh rainfall and thunderstorms in the flash flood-affected areas, threatening to disrupt ongoing rescue and relief operations.

Nepal may need $4 billion to $5 billion to rebuild after this week's devastating floods, Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle has told Reuters, a bill equal to nearly a tenth of the economy.

"The initial estimate is between $4-$5 billion. Just an estimate," he said.

"We will require much less than what we needed for the 2015 earthquake. Loss and damage is being assessed," he added.

The threat of a lake formed after a glacier collapse bursting near the China-Nepal border where a devastating flood occurred this week has decreased, Chinese authorities said as its size appears to have shrunk.

Satellite images from Thursday to Saturday morning suggest that water in the lake has been slowly flowing through, decreasing the reservoir gradually.

Sukhvinder, a resident of Himachal's Una district, who was working as a mechanical engineer at the Trishuli Hydro Project in Nepal, has gone missing after the Nepal floods.

His family has approached the central government and local MP Anurag Thakur to locate their son.

Sukhvinder's father, Husan Lal, said on Saturday that his son previously worked in Bhutan before the company transferred him to Nepal. Sukhvinder had returned to Nepal on August 15 after three months' leave.

Nepal's disaster authority has raised sharply the number of missing to 2,426, including 517 foreigners, and increased the death count in the country to 626. The list includes a large rise in Nepalis listed as missing, up from a total of 1,924 the previous night.

Here are the latest numbers on people missing in Nepal-Tibet flash floods:

- In total: 2,478 missing -

Nepal's disaster agency on Friday dramatically increased the total number of people missing on its side of the border to 1,924.

The total number of missing in Tibet is now at 554, with seven people confirmed dead, China's Xinhua news agency reported early Saturday.

Together, the total missing therefore stands at least 2,478 -- a leap of more than 1,000 from Thursday's figures.

Nepal's disaster agency on Friday said that 517 foreigners -- which could include tourists as well as foreign workers -- were still missing.

Chinese officials on Friday put the number of foreigners missing at 260.

Together, that means the total number of foreigners missing in the region was at least 777.

The Nepal tourism board also said 121 tourists had been rescued. The total number of rescued in the disaster, including residents and foreign workers in the region, was unclear.

Nepal's disaster agency said Friday that at least 579 people had been killed, bringing the total to at least 586.

- Nepal -

The Nepal Tourism Board figures Friday said 149 Nepali tourists were among the 622 it listed as missing.

The Nepal disaster agency put the figure lower, at 127.

It was not immediately clear how many Nepali residents of the area were unaccounted for, but the figure is believed to be in the hundreds. 

- China -

China's foreign ministry said Thursday that nearly 100 Chinese nationals were among the missing in Nepal.

The Nepal Tourism Board said eight Chinese were unaccounted for but that 16 had been rescued.

That was in addition to the 554 still missing on the Chinese side of the border, the state news agency Xinhua reported Saturday.

- India -

Nepal's new tourism board figures Friday showed 98 people from India were missing, but 85 others rescued.

- United States -

Ninety US citizens were missing, the State Department said Thursday, adding that three had been rescued and it was not aware of any US fatalities. 

The Nepal Tourism Board put the figure at 65 missing on Friday, and two rescued.

- Ukraine -

The Nepal Tourism Board put the number of Ukrainians still missing Friday at 61.

Ukraine's embassy in Nepal said Friday it was aware of 62 of its citizens with whom contact had been lost, revising its earlier numbers upwards by six.

- Malaysia -

The Nepal Tourism Board put the number at 51.

- Australia -

"Unfortunately the number has risen to 41 overnight, Australians that are unaccounted for," Matt Thistlethwaite, assistant immigration minister said on Saturday. 

- United Kingdom -

Thirty-three people from the United Kingdom were missing, the Nepal Tourism Board figures showed Friday.

- Latvia -

Twenty-nine Latvians were missing, the Nepal Tourism Board said Friday.

- Canada -

The Nepal Tourism Board said 25 Canadians were among the missing on Friday. Canada's foreign ministry put the figure at 30 in both Nepal and Tibet.

- South Korea -

The Nepal Tourism Board said Friday that nine South Korean tourists were missing.

South Korea's foreign ministry said Wednesday they had had no news of nine hydropower workers.

- Singapore -

Nine Singaporeans were unaccounted for, the Nepal Tourism Board said. 

- Germany -

Eight German citizens are missing, according to the Nepal Tourism Board.

- Russia -

Nine Russians are unaccounted for, while two have been rescued, the Nepal Tourism Board said Friday.

- Other nationalities -

South Africa: six (Nepal Tourism Board)

Japan: five (Nepal Tourism Board)

New Zealand: five (foreign ministry and Nepal Tourism Board)

France: four (Nepal Tourism Board)

Spain: three (Spanish foreign ministry)

Belgium: two, and one person rescued (Nepal Tourism Board)

Hungary: three (Hungarian foreign ministry). The Nepal Tourism Board put the figure at one.

Portugal: three, with two found safe (Portuguese government). The Nepal Tourism Board said only one Portuguese citizen was missing

Netherlands: two (Nepal Tourism Board)

Italy: three missing (Italian foreign ministry). The Nepal Tourism Board said Friday one was missing, with two rescued 

Ireland: two (Nepal Tourism Board)

Kazakhstan: three (Nepal Tourism Board)

Belarus: one (Nepal Tourism Board)

Finland: one (Nepal Tourism Board)

Israel: one (Nepal Tourism Board)

Lithuania: one (Nepal Tourism Board)

Philippines: one (Nepal Tourism Board)

Serbia: one (Nepal Tourism Board)

Switzerland: one, with one person rescued (Nepal Tourism Board)

Sweden: one (Swedish foreign ministry and Nepal Tourism Board)

Vietnam: one (Nepal Tourism Board)

- Nationalities unconfirmed -

The missing figure released Thursday by China from its side of the border included 260 foreigners, but no breakdown on nationalities was provided.

The nationalities of the non-tourists in Nepal have also not been provided.

(As reported by news agency AFP)

The death count in Nepal flash floods has increased to 616, and nearly 2,500 people are still missing, the police have said in a post on X.

रसुवा जिल्लामा आएको बाढी सम्बन्धी अपडेट (मितिः २०८३/०५/१३ गते ०७:०० बजेसम्म) pic.twitter.com/6ZxwyFyGoC

— Nepal Police (@NepalPoliceHQ) August 29, 2026

At least 320 Indians remain missing, and 400 others are stranded on the Chinese side following flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday night.

The MEA said 153 Indian nationals stranded on the Chinese side have safely crossed over to Nepal.

Twenty-one Indians arrived in New Delhi Friday afternoon, a day after they reached Kathmandu from the flood-affected areas of Nepal, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

Sixty-three Indian nationals, working at the Trishuli-One hydropower project, were also rescued, he said.

Update on Indian nationals impacted by the floods in Nepal ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/bIHHFT9943

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) August 28, 2026

"There are also around 100 persons of Indian origin who remained uncontactable. These are people of Indian origin who may have gone for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, but they hold other nationalities," he said.

The MEA also released a list of 149 Indians who crossed over from China to Nepal.

Update on Indian nationals impacted by the floods in Nepal.

Please see the names of 149 Indian nationals who safely crossed from China to Nepal today (28 August 2026 )

Details below ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/kvohBTAcAi

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) August 28, 2026

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has confirmed that at least 12 people from the state have been reported missing in Nepal.

The list includes three persons from Karbi Anglong - Rhituopurno Brahma, Montri Basumatary and Soneswar Narzary. The three had reportedly travelled to Nepal in search of work about two weeks back.

Others on the list are Rahul Daimary of Golaghat, Shatadal Nath of Hojai, two persons from Nalbari - Arun Mahanta and Dr Tirtha Chaliha of Nalbari Medical College and Hospital - and three from Guwahati - Dipali Sarkar, Pankaj Naug and Manash Kunar Ghosh.

He said that they are in touch with their families and "coordinating with relevant agencies to ensure their safety and earliest possible return home".

Till now we have been able to establish details of 12 people from Assam who are yet to be traced in Nepal.

Efforts are underway to establish connection with them and safely rescue them. https://t.co/hDRtdeQIqN pic.twitter.com/CELAGNU5Qy

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) August 28, 2026

India's third tranche of 10 tonnes of relief supplies to flood-ravaged Nepal has reached Kathmandu, alongside an 11-member team of doctors and paramedics and a reconnaissance crew to assess tunnel rescue operations.

Third flight with assistance from India reaches Kathmandu.

Relief supplies and an 11-member medical and tunnel rescue team are now on the ground.

🇮🇳🇳🇵 pic.twitter.com/7VAGVLKvdg

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) August 28, 2026

New Delhi on Wednesday had dispatched 10 tonnes of HADR (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief) materials to the neighbouring country, while another consignment of 37.5 tonnes of relief supplies was sent on Thursday.

Nepal continues to reel under the impact of devastating flash floods along the country's border with Tibet that have so far killed more than 500 people and left thousands missing.

At least 579 bodies have so far been found, with rescue operations on for the fourth day for more than 2,000 people still unaccounted for.