Source @thailand_news
Nepal-Tibet flood missing toll hits 2,478
Nepal-Tibet flood missing toll hits 2,478
https://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/thaiger-Nepal-Tibet-flood-missing-toll-hits-2478.jpg Nepal-Tibet flood missing toll hits 2,478Legacyhttps://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/thaiger-Nepal-Tibet-flood-missing-toll-hits-2478.jpg
The number of people missing after a catastrophic flash flood tore through the Nepal-Tibet border has risen to 2,478, with Nepalese officials now confirming 579 deaths and Chinese authorities reporting seven more fatalities on the Tibetan side.
Search and rescue teams are continuing to comb the Himalayan border region after the disaster, which struck as huge volumes of mud, rock and debris collapsed into a river system near the frontier, unleashing a wall of water onto communities and roads below.
Xinhua, China’s state news agency, reported on the morning of August 29 that emergency workers had evacuated 555 stranded tourists from Tibet, including 499 Chinese nationals.
The disaster’s reach has extended into India, where officials say they have recovered seven bodies from a river flowing down from Nepal. Investigators believe the victims may be linked to the flash flood, though formal identification is still under way.
https://globalnation.inquirer.net/files/2026/08/nepal-flash-floods-1200x740.jpg Photo courtesy of Global Nation
Kailash pilgrims among the missing
Rescue teams in Nepal and Tibet are still searching mountainous terrain and riverbanks for thousands of missing people, with some areas difficult to reach after roads, bridges and other infrastructure were destroyed.
Among those unaccounted for are Hindu pilgrims from several countries who were travelling towards Mount Kailash in Tibet at the time of the flood. The mountain is considered a sacred site in Hinduism and other regional faiths, drawing large numbers of pilgrims from India, Nepal and elsewhere every year. The flood struck during peak pilgrimage season, meaning an unusually high number of travellers were on the border route when disaster hit.
Sivaranjani Muthunathan, 46 year old, was travelling with 56 others on a bus bound for the Chinese border. She said the group initially assumed they had hit ordinary traffic, before what looked like fog or smoke began rolling rapidly through the area. Footage she recorded on her phone showed a massive surge of water sweeping through the area, dragging away nearby vehicles while others were buried under mud and debris.
Scientists and regional officials had earlier suggested that an earthquake may have triggered a glacial or rock collapse, temporarily damming the river before the natural barrier gave way and released a huge volume of water downstream. The exact cause remains under investigation.
With the number of missing now at 2,478, officials from Nepal, China and neighbouring countries are continuing search and identification efforts, with concerns the death toll could still rise.
Related news
* Nepal floods: death toll passes 390, over 1,500 missing
* Nan floods leave two dead, affect 16,000 people
* Southern Thailand floods leave 145 dead, rescue and recovery efforts continue
The story Nepal-Tibet flood missing toll hits 2,478 as seen on Thaiger News.
← Back to newshttps://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/thaiger-Nepal-Tibet-flood-missing-toll-hits-2478.jpg Nepal-Tibet flood missing toll hits 2,478Legacyhttps://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/thaiger-Nepal-Tibet-flood-missing-toll-hits-2478.jpg
The number of people missing after a catastrophic flash flood tore through the Nepal-Tibet border has risen to 2,478, with Nepalese officials now confirming 579 deaths and Chinese authorities reporting seven more fatalities on the Tibetan side.
Search and rescue teams are continuing to comb the Himalayan border region after the disaster, which struck as huge volumes of mud, rock and debris collapsed into a river system near the frontier, unleashing a wall of water onto communities and roads below.
Xinhua, China’s state news agency, reported on the morning of August 29 that emergency workers had evacuated 555 stranded tourists from Tibet, including 499 Chinese nationals.
The disaster’s reach has extended into India, where officials say they have recovered seven bodies from a river flowing down from Nepal. Investigators believe the victims may be linked to the flash flood, though formal identification is still under way.
https://globalnation.inquirer.net/files/2026/08/nepal-flash-floods-1200x740.jpg Photo courtesy of Global Nation
Kailash pilgrims among the missing
Rescue teams in Nepal and Tibet are still searching mountainous terrain and riverbanks for thousands of missing people, with some areas difficult to reach after roads, bridges and other infrastructure were destroyed.
Among those unaccounted for are Hindu pilgrims from several countries who were travelling towards Mount Kailash in Tibet at the time of the flood. The mountain is considered a sacred site in Hinduism and other regional faiths, drawing large numbers of pilgrims from India, Nepal and elsewhere every year. The flood struck during peak pilgrimage season, meaning an unusually high number of travellers were on the border route when disaster hit.
Sivaranjani Muthunathan, 46 year old, was travelling with 56 others on a bus bound for the Chinese border. She said the group initially assumed they had hit ordinary traffic, before what looked like fog or smoke began rolling rapidly through the area. Footage she recorded on her phone showed a massive surge of water sweeping through the area, dragging away nearby vehicles while others were buried under mud and debris.
Scientists and regional officials had earlier suggested that an earthquake may have triggered a glacial or rock collapse, temporarily damming the river before the natural barrier gave way and released a huge volume of water downstream. The exact cause remains under investigation.
With the number of missing now at 2,478, officials from Nepal, China and neighbouring countries are continuing search and identification efforts, with concerns the death toll could still rise.
Related news
* Nepal floods: death toll passes 390, over 1,500 missing
* Nan floods leave two dead, affect 16,000 people
* Southern Thailand floods leave 145 dead, rescue and recovery efforts continue
The story Nepal-Tibet flood missing toll hits 2,478 as seen on Thaiger News.