RismadarVoice Reporters
August 29, 2026
The death toll from catastrophic flash floods and mudslides in Nepal has risen to at least 669, while more than 2,400 people remain missing as rescue operations continue across the disaster-hit areas.
Rescuers have struggled to reach communities devastated by torrents of water, ice and debris along the Nepal-Tibet border, four days after the disaster destroyed homes, bridges, roads and other infrastructure.
The scale of the destruction has become clearer as families continue to await information about missing relatives, while damaged roads, power outages and fears of further flooding hamper rescue efforts.
China has separately reported seven deaths and 554 people missing in its Tibet region, including hundreds of foreigners. However, it remains unclear whether there is any overlap between the missing-person figures released by Nepal and China.
The disaster began on Wednesday after a massive section of ice and rock broke away from a mountaintop, triggering devastating flooding across Himalayan valleys, according to geologists.
Videos from some of the worst-hit areas showed residents fleeing as torrents of debris swept through buildings, vehicles, towns and settlements, while roads, electricity and communication networks were cut off.
The suspected collapse of a melting glacier reportedly generated such intense ground movement that seismic monitoring equipment initially recorded it as a magnitude 4.4 earthquake.
The United States Department of State said it had not received reports of any confirmed American deaths, although about 90 U.S. citizens remain unaccounted for, adding to concerns surrounding the disaster.
Among those missing are Raghu Rajan and Archana Suresh, residents of Murphy, Texas, who were expected to cross the China-Nepal border on Wednesday morning when the floods struck. Their phones were last detected near a bridge that was subsequently washed away.
“We know the severity of it, but still, you know, there’s a ray of hope for us to find our loved ones,” Rajan’s sister-in-law, Divya Chandrashekar, told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth.
Also missing are Deepak and Madhu Ahuja, business owners from Plano, Texas, who had travelled to the region on a religious pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, a site considered sacred by Hindus and Buddhists.
Deepak’s brother, Sushil Ahuja, expressed hope that the couple had survived the disaster.
The U.S. State Department has urged American citizens currently in or recently travelling through Rasuwa and other affected areas to contact its officials for assistance.
Meanwhile, helicopter rescue operations resumed in Nepal’s flood-hit Nuwakot district on Saturday after adverse weather temporarily disrupted the efforts.
Some helicopters delivered emergency supplies, including clothing, instant noodles, crackers and rice, while others evacuated survivors from affected communities. Several babies from the nearby Trishuli community were reportedly among those rescued.
China’s Ministry of Emergency Management also dispatched five tunnel experts to assist rescue operations at a hydropower station tunnel in Nepal, according to Chinese state media.
Meanwhile, scores of bodies recovered from the banks of the Trishuli and Narayani rivers have been taken to Pokhara for identification.
At the Western Regional Hospital in Pokhara, families gathered outside the morgue as they waited anxiously for information about relatives who remained missing.
Authorities are using photographs to assist with identification, as some of the recovered bodies were reportedly in advanced stages of decomposition.
A United Nations official said rescuers were working “day and night” to search for survivors despite the difficult conditions.
The U.N. resident coordinator in Nepal, Lila Pieters Yahia, said the Nepalese government had established a relief fund, while the World Bank, India, China and the United States had committed a combined $229 million in support.
The United Nations is also providing $2 million from its humanitarian relief fund for immediate assistance.
Nepal’s Finance Minister, Swarnim Wagle, meanwhile, estimated that the country could require between $4 billion and $5 billion to rebuild following the disaster.
