Nepal Flash Flood LIVE News Updates: Death toll rises to 903; races to rescue 933 feared trapped in hydropower tunnels

Nepal says it is intensifying efforts to free hundreds of people trapped inside tunnels at hydropower projects.

Nepal Floods LIVE Updates: At least 933 workers are believed to be trapped at around half a dozen hydropower projects in Nepal following last week’s devastating floods, the country’s disaster management authority said on Monday. The death toll in Nepal has risen to 903, as rescue teams intensify efforts to reach those stranded inside tunnels at hydropower projects, including the Trishuli-3A site. Rescue crews, joined by specialists from China and India, have been attempting to establish contact with those inside but have so far received no response from within the tunnel, officials say.

Many of the roughly 2,500 people still reported missing are believed to be employees of Nepal’s hydropower sites, raising fears that the industrial workforce bore a disproportionate share of the disaster’s toll. Across the border in Tibet, Chinese state media has confirmed 16 deaths and 546 people missing, with rescuers described as struggling to locate survivors.

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Here are five key points on the developing situation:

• Trishuli-3A rescue effort: Nepal is intensifying efforts to reach hundreds trapped inside tunnels at hydropower sites, including Trishuli-3A, following Wednesday’s flash floods.
• No contact yet with those trapped: Rescue teams, including experts from China and India, have attempted to make contact with people inside the tunnel but have so far gotten no response.
• Hydropower workers among the missing: Officials say hundreds of the roughly 2,500 people still unaccounted for are believed to be employees of Nepal’s hydropower projects.
• Nepal’s death toll climbs: At least 794 people have been confirmed dead in Nepal, with more than 2,500 still reported missing, according to local officials.
• Cross-border impact in Tibet:  Chinese state media reports 16 confirmed deaths and 546 people missing in Tibet, with rescuers struggling to find survivors.

Live Updates
Aug 31, 2026 10:42 AM IST
Death toll rises to 903, missing count jumps to 4,247

The death toll from Nepal’s devastating flash floods has risen to 903, while the number of people reported missing has jumped to 4,247, according to the country’s disaster management authority. Rescue teams continue to search affected districts for survivors and recover bodies as operations enter their sixth day.

Aug 31, 2026 10:15 AM IST
Death toll rises to 903 as rescue operations continue

The death toll from the devastating flash floods in Nepal has risen to 903, according to Nepalese authorities. Rescue operations continue across the worst-hit areas as teams search for survivors and recover bodies amid difficult terrain and ongoing flood risks.

Aug 31, 2026 10:09 AM IST
Nepal floods: Barrier lake near Gyirong ‘basically cleared’ as China warns of more rain

The barrier lake that formed near Gyirong on Saturday has “naturally drained and is basically cleared,” Chinese state media reported, easing fears of another major flood. However, authorities warned that the area is expected to see continuous rainfall through Tuesday, according to the BBC.

Search-and-rescue operations are continuing at the devastated Gyirong border crossing, where 117 firefighters and 13 rescue dogs have been deployed. A layer of silt more than a metre thick has covered parts of the worst-hit areas, making the search for survivors particularly difficult.

Aug 31, 2026 09:43 AM IST
Volunteers clear debris, search for bodies in devastated Devighat

Scores of volunteers from Nepal’s Likhu Rural Municipality have joined rescue, relief and cleanup operations in flood-hit Devighat, carrying heavy machinery and tipper trucks to clear debris and help recover bodies. Volunteers said entire settlements had been swept away, leaving behind a wasteland of mud and rubble. “There is nothing left there. It's all debris,” resident Sitaram Pulaimer told ANI.

Volunteers said around 250-300 people were heading to the affected areas with vehicles to clear roads, provide food, water and temporary shelter, and help recover those still missing. Another volunteer, Navraj Thapa, described the destruction as “immense”, saying areas including Devighat, Trishuli, Betrawati, Jhole and Timure had suffered massive damage. “No humans, no settlements, no food, no place to stay. The situation is terrible,” he said.

Nepal Police said the death toll from the floods has reached 788, while the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said 2,502 people remain missing. Of those missing, 933 are workers from hydropower projects and 592 are foreign nationals.

Authorities said nearly 20,000 security personnel have been deployed, with ground teams carrying out 8,730 rescues. Helicopters have completed 363 flights, airlifting 3,081 people, while 279 people have been rescued directly from a flooded hydropower tunnel.

Aug 31, 2026 08:57 AM IST
933 hydropower workers feared trapped as rescue efforts intensify

At least 933 workers are believed to be trapped at around half a dozen hydropower projects in Nepal following last week’s devastating floods, the country’s disaster management authority said on Monday, August 31.

Rescue teams are focusing on several hydropower sites, including the Upper Trishuli complex, where workers are feared trapped inside debris-filled tunnels. Heavy machinery has been airlifted to the affected areas as teams work to clear access routes. Reuters reported that rescuers reached the entrance of one tunnel on Sunday and began removing debris.

The rescue operation has been complicated by continuing rain, rising water levels and unstable terrain. India and China have also deployed specialised tunnel-rescue teams to assist Nepali authorities.

Aug 31, 2026 08:30 AM IST
Tunnel rescue efforts made ‘highest priority’ as communication restored at Gyirong

Rescuing workers potentially trapped inside hydropower tunnels has become a 'highest priority' for Nepalese authorities as teams continue operations despite difficult weather and hazardous conditions, according to the BBC.

Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha said rescue teams are working at the Trishuli 3A and 3B hydropower plants, where efforts are underway to reach tunnels and search for possible survivors. Authorities are also arranging additional personnel, equipment and technical assistance.

Meanwhile, communication signals have been restored at the devastated Gyirong border post on the China-Nepal border, with Chinese state media Xinhua reporting that one existing base station has been restored and eight new stations added. The improvements are allowing rescue teams at the remote site to communicate again.

Aug 31, 2026 07:41 AM IST
Nepal warns of fresh flooding as death toll rises to 788

Nepal authorities have warned residents in flood-hit districts to remain on high alert after water levels rose in the Bhotekoshi River. The warning came after Chinese authorities reported increased upstream water flow, while a crater holding an estimated 1.4 million cubic metres of water remains under close monitoring.

Nepal’s disaster agency said the death toll has climbed to 788, with 2,502 people missing. China has reported 16 deaths and 546 missing on its side of the border. The disaster began after a glacial collapse triggered torrents of water, rocks and debris that swept through communities in Nepal and Tibet.

In Dhading, residents have begun returning to heavily damaged homes to salvage whatever they can, while damaged power lines and destroyed bridges continue to hamper recovery. Authorities are also issuing repeated flood warnings, leaving many residents exhausted and fearful of another surge.

Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal has called for a global response to climate change, saying, “Despite having only 0.1% contribution to the global emissions, people of Nepal have become major victims of climate change.” Meanwhile, Malaysia has pledged $1 million in aid and said it will send a search-and-rescue team to Nepal.

Aug 31, 2026 07:05 AM IST
403 Indian nationals cross into Nepal from China; forensics team from India begins work on DNA samples

AS MANY as 403 Indian nationals safely crossed into Nepal from China on Sunday and 500 Indians are still in China and safe, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Sunday.

However, the ministry did not give any update on the missing Indians. On Saturday, as search and rescue operations continued in Nepal for the fourth day, the ministry had said 275 Indian nationals and another 128 people of Indian origin – mostly Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrims — remained missing.

On Sunday, the MEA on its X handle shared a list of 149 people who were rescued. It also said that a “19-member specialized forensics team from India began functioning in Kathmandu today”. Read more

Aug 31, 2026 06:32 AM IST
How one teacher saved 900 students from Nepal floods

A Nepali school headteacher’s decision to evacuate 900 students after receiving multiple warnings about rising floodwaters may have prevented a major tragedy, as catastrophic flash floods continued to devastate parts of Nepal and Tibet.

Rajendra Dawadi, headteacher of Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School in Nepal’s Nuwakot district, ordered the evacuation after receiving at least four warnings within several minutes, the London-based media organisation BBC reported. Read more

Aug 31, 2026 05:41 AM IST
India's tunnel rescue team joins Nepali Army in flood operations

A specialised tunnel search and rescue team from India joined forces with the Nepali Army on Sunday to conduct intensive rescue operations across disaster-affected hydropower tunnel sites in Nepal's Chilime and Langtang regions.

The deployment comes as security forces intensify efforts to reach workers trapped inside flood-hit underground powerhouses and tunnels.

The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that the specialised team has been integrated into local operations, working side-by-side with security personnel on the ground.

Aug 31, 2026 05:40 AM IST
‘I can’t stop looking… not so soon’: In Nepal, thousands launch search missions of their own for missing kin

Over the last four days, Lekhnath Adhikari, 43, has travelled hundreds of kilometres on his uncle’s bike. He has been going to almost every search and relief camp, hospital and locality near his native village Betrawati, and areas downstream.

Betrawati is located in Nuwakot district, north of Kathmandu. It is on the border of Rasuwa district – which was the epicenter of the flash floods.

While it usually takes two hours to reach the village, after the floods, it takes roughly four hours. On Wednesday, when the flash floods on Bhotekoshi river hit his village, his wife, son and daughter were able to run to higher ground to escape the raging waters, but his elderly parents were not. Read more

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