At least 17 killed as flash flood sweeps part of Nepal-Tibet border

ByPhanindra Dahal and Laura Bicker Reporting fromKathmandu and Beijing. 26 August 2026, 08: 55 BST.

Key points

• The flood hit early on Wednesday in Rasuwa, just north of Nepal's capital Kathmandu, reportedly caused by excessive snow melting into the Bhote Koshi river.
• Search operations are under way on both sides of the border between Tibet and Nepal and 12 individuals have been rescued so far.
• Nepal Police spokesman Abhi Narayan Kaphle informed the BBC that all security agencies were working together on rescue efforts.
• State media in China, which controls Tibet, say there are significant casualties and Nepalese authorities stated they anticipate "huge scale loss".
• Rasuwa saw deadly flooding last year that killed 18 individuals after a glacier burst on the Chinese side of the border.

At least 17 individuals have been killed after a massive flash flood and mudslide along the Nepal-Tibet border washed away villages and damaged roads and infrastructure, according to police.

Notably, the flood hit early on Wednesday in Rasuwa, just north of Nepal's capital Kathmandu, reportedly caused by excessive snow melting into the Bhote Koshi river.

Nepal Police spokesman Abhi Narayan Kaphle informed the BBC that all security agencies were working together on rescue efforts. Videos show floodwater crashing through villages.

In practice, a number of areas downstream of the Bhote Koshi river. It flows from Tibet to Nepal, are on high alert and roads, communications and power in the region have been disrupted. The authorities say the main road to Kathmandu is closed.

"Our logistics firm has seven container trucks there, all staffed by Nepalese employees. We have lost contact with all of them. There is no signal, so we cannot reach anyone, " Yee Liang, a Chinese businessman based in Kathmandu, informed the BBC.

"As far as I know, there was no warning. There were occasional mudslides and landslides, especially in the rainy season, but this one seems much more serious."

Meanwhile, the extent of the damage on the Tibetan side is unclear but the BBC spoke to Guan Daoxuan in Sichuan province who remarked he had lost contact with his wife late on Wednesday morning.

She works for a state-run construction firm involved in building roads and bridges in Tibet. Guan remarked Nepalese authorities had tried to send a helicopter to inspect the area as road access had been cut off, but solid winds were making it challenging for the aircraft to reach the site.

Nepal's disaster management authority called on individuals living near river banks in vulnerable areas to remain alert and take precautions.

After holding an emergency gathering to take stock of the situation, "Work has started to take necessary steps in co-ordination with the medical team, scouts, and Red Cross, " Prime Minister Balendra Shah remarked in a social media post.

Authorities remarked 13 officers from the armed police force were missing from two posts in Rasuwa district, and they had not been able to contact dozens of other police officers.

Authorities have informed the BBC that they believe the scale of Wednesday's disaster exceeds last year's floods.

For now, at least 17 killed as flash flood sweeps part of Nepal remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.