Nepal floods leave nearly 100 dead; over 350 missing, including 105 Indians

At least 95 people have been killed in Nepal and hundreds remain missing after a devastating flash flood tore through the country's northern districts on Wednesday, destroying settlements, roads, bridges and power infrastructure and triggering a major multinational rescue operation. The disaster struck the Bhotekoshi river system in Rasuwa district near the Nepal-Tibet border before surging downstream through Nuwakot, Dhading and other districts. The flood swept away homes and infrastructure and severed road and communication links, complicating efforts to establish the full scale of casualties.

The toll continued to change rapidly through Wednesday as rescue teams reached previously inaccessible areas. Reuters reported at least 95 deaths in Nepal, while Nepal's disaster management authority had confirmed 72 bodies across seven districts in an earlier evening update. The differing figures reflected the rapidly evolving rescue operation. Hundreds of people were still unaccounted for, including foreign tourists and pilgrims travelling through the region. Nepal Tourism Board figures earlier in the day listed hundreds of people as out of contact, including foreign nationals from India and several other countries.

Indian pilgrims among missing

The flood-hit region is an important transit corridor for pilgrims travelling through Nepal towards Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar in Tibet. Indian nationals were among those reported missing or out of contact. The number varied as tour operators and authorities worked to establish contact with different groups. An Associated Press report later put the number of missing Indian pilgrims at 133.

Tour operators had struggled to communicate with several groups after roads and telecommunications were disrupted. The flooding also affected the Chinese side of the Himalayan border. Chinese authorities reported deaths and hundreds missing in Tibet's Gyirong County, extending the scale of the disaster across the frontier. Rescue teams were working in difficult conditions as continuing rainfall, swollen rivers and destroyed roads restricted access. Nepal deployed its army, police and disaster-response personnel, while helicopters were pressed into service where weather conditions permitted.

What triggered the disaster?

Early assessments point to a major mass movement high in the Himalayan terrain as the immediate trigger. The Associated Press reported that an avalanche of ice and rock apparently blocked the Lhende Khola river before the temporary obstruction gave way, releasing a huge volume of water downstream. Reuters, citing experts and officials, reported that a massive collapse of mud and rock into the Lhende River may have followed a magnitude-4.4 earthquake.

The precise sequence is still being investigated. The resulting surge travelled rapidly through narrow mountain valleys and entered the Bhotekoshi river system, giving communities downstream little time to react.

Syapru Besi and Timure in Rasuwa were among the areas severely affected. Settlements farther downstream were also inundated as the flood moved through the river network. Officials described extensive damage to villages, markets, roads, bridges and hydropower infrastructure. In some places, entire settlements were reported to have been devastated. Authorities remained concerned about the possibility of another surge because of unstable terrain and reports of another potential obstruction upstream.

India swings into action

India offered assistance to Nepal as the scale of the disaster became clear. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Wednesday and conveyed condolences over the deaths while assuring Kathmandu of all possible humanitarian assistance. Indian relief supplies were being prepared, while the Indian Air Force was placed in readiness to undertake rescue and relief operations if required.

The National Disaster Response Force was also kept on standby for a possible mission in Nepal. The Sashastra Seema Bal, which guards the India-Nepal frontier, alerted 11 Rescue and Relief Teams for immediate deployment and kept another seven teams on standby. India and Nepal share an open border stretching more than 1,700 km, and rivers originating in Nepal's Himalayan and hill regions flow southwards into densely populated areas of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The disaster consequently raised concerns on the Indian side even as rescue operations continued in Nepal.

Bihar, UP on high alert

Authorities in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh intensified preparations amid fears that large volumes of water moving downstream from Nepal could raise river levels. The Gandak, Ghaghara, Rapti and Kosi systems are particularly important because flooding upstream can rapidly affect districts across the Gangetic plains. Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary said a high-level team had been constituted, with the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police monitoring developments.

NDRF and State Disaster Response Force teams were deployed or kept ready in vulnerable areas. Authorities also opened all 36 gates of the Gandak barrage as water levels rose. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials to maintain heightened vigilance, particularly in Maharajganj and Kushinagar districts, because of rising levels in the Gandak and Narayani rivers.

NDRF personnel were being mobilised for any emergency response, while local administrations were instructed to prepare for possible flooding. Alerts were also issued in other areas along river systems connected to Nepal.

Rescue becomes race against time

In Nepal, the immediate challenge remained finding survivors among the large number of people initially listed as missing. By early evening, dozens had been rescued, but communication failures made the missing-person figures particularly difficult to verify. Some people classified as missing could simply have been unable to contact families or tour operators after mobile and road networks collapsed.

Others were feared to have been swept away. Foreign embassies began attempting to account for their citizens. The United States advised its nationals in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha, Chitwan and Tanahun to avoid riverbanks and low-lying areas and move to higher ground where necessary.

South Korea reported nationals missing from a hydropower project, while authorities and tour companies were attempting to trace visitors from several countries. China also launched emergency operations on its side of the border.

Himalayas face growing risk

The catastrophe has again drawn attention to the extreme vulnerability of Himalayan communities to sudden flooding. The mountains contain thousands of glaciers and glacial lakes, while steep slopes, unstable geology, intense monsoon rainfall and expanding infrastructure can combine to magnify disasters. As temperatures rise, retreating glaciers and changing patterns of snow and ice are creating new hazards. Glacial lakes can expand behind unstable natural barriers, while avalanches and landslides can temporarily block rivers. When such barriers collapse, enormous quantities of water and debris can descend through narrow valleys with little warning.

The region where Wednesday's disaster occurred has previously experienced destructive flooding linked to glacial processes. Determining whether climate change directly contributed to this particular event will require detailed scientific analysis. But researchers have repeatedly warned that a warming Himalayan region is altering the risk landscape facing Nepal and neighbouring countries. The disaster also demonstrates why Himalayan floods rarely remain confined by national boundaries. Rivers beginning in Tibet cross Nepal and eventually enter India's plains, meaning extreme events high in the mountains can threaten communities hundreds of kilometres downstream.

For Nepal, however, the immediate task is more basic: reach isolated communities, account for hundreds of missing people and find survivors before the window for rescue closes.