RismadarVoice Reporters
August 30, 2026
At least 797 people have been confirmed dead while more than 3,000 others remain missing following a devastating glacier collapse in the Himalayan region that triggered massive floods and landslides across parts of Nepal and China.
The disaster occurred on Wednesday after a section of a glacier at an altitude of about 5,200 metres collapsed, sending huge volumes of ice, mud and rocks into the Lende River. The resulting floods swept through several communities near the Nepal-China border, destroying buildings, roads and other infrastructure.
Authorities in Nepal reported 781 deaths and 2,502 missing persons, including hundreds of foreign nationals, while China’s state broadcaster CCTV confirmed 16 deaths and 546 people missing in affected areas of Tibet.
Rescue teams from Nepal, China, India and South Korea have joined efforts to locate survivors and recover bodies, but operations have been repeatedly disrupted by heavy rainfall, difficult terrain and fears of additional flooding.
More than 100 workers are also believed to be trapped inside several hydropower tunnels in Nepal, with emergency teams working to reach the affected areas.
In Nepal, authorities have started burying some unidentified victims after collecting DNA samples to help families identify their relatives in the future. Many bodies were carried away by floodwaters and buried under mud and debris, making identification difficult.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said about 90,000 people have been affected by the disaster, while international assistance has started arriving from several countries and humanitarian organisations.
Officials continue to monitor rivers in the region as concerns remain over possible further flooding from unstable water bodies formed after the glacier collapse.
