Devastating floods leave more than 1,300 missing along Nepal-China border

Kathmandu, Aug 27:  More than 1,300 people remained missing on Thursday after devastating flash floods tore through communities along the Nepal-China border, killing more than 160 people, destroying roads and bridges and leaving rescuers struggling to reach isolated settlements and search for hundreds of foreign nationals.

The disaster, one of the worst to strike the remote Himalayan frontier in recent years, struck Wednesday when a massive surge of water, mud and debris swept through mountain valleys, engulfing homes, vehicles and commercial buildings and burying entire settlements.

Nepali authorities said 826 people were missing on the Nepal side, including at least 300 foreign nationals. Authorities in China’s Tibet Autonomous Region reported another 558 missing in Gyirong county.

The combined figure puts the number of missing at at least 1,384, although officials warned that it could change significantly as communications are restored and rescue teams reach areas that remain cut off. More than 160 deaths have been confirmed so far.

The scale of destruction has severely hampered rescue operations, with collapsed bridges, blocked roads and continuing landslides cutting off large parts of the disaster zone.

On the Chinese side, emergency teams reached Gyirong Port on Thursday, nearly 22 hours after floodwaters swept through the area. Their arrival had been delayed by blocked roads and poor weather.

The first group of 141 rescuers reached the port, while a high-altitude Mi-171 helicopter was deployed to the disaster zone, Chinese state media reported.

Sections of the road leading to the border facility remained buried under around 1.5 metres of mud and debris, with the blockage beginning about 2.5 km from the port.

Video footage showed a wall of muddy water surging into the Gyirong border complex, engulfing an official building before spreading through surrounding areas.

Chinese authorities have reported at least three deaths and more than 550 people missing in Gyirong county. Communications around the port were also disrupted, complicating efforts to coordinate rescue teams.

Hundreds of additional rescue personnel have been mobilised, state media reported.

On the Nepali side, the destruction of roads and bridges has forced authorities to rely heavily on helicopters to reach survivors.

Sumnima Udas, a Nepali lawmaker and chair of Parliament’s Foreign Relations and Tourism Committee, said the army had deployed all available helicopters, while private helicopter operators had also been brought in, according to The Kathmandu Post.

Relief trucks carrying tents, drinking water, food and portable generators were being sent toward affected communities, but many could not reach their destinations because roads had been destroyed.

Infrastructure along the border region that was normally accessible from Kathmandu in six or seven hours by road has become almost inaccessible. “Almost all the major roads and all the major bridges have been destroyed,” Udas said.

Among those reported missing are workers from hydroelectric power stations, as well as employees of banks, customs offices and other businesses operating near the border.

“We’re really having a difficult time fully understanding the scope of the damage and the loss of life,” Udas said.

The floods have also triggered an international search for tourists caught in the disaster zone.

Survivors in some areas moved to higher ground while waiting for roads to be cleared. Images from Nuwakot district showed homes and buildings covered in thick layers of mud, with residents carrying belongings away from damaged settlements.

The full extent of the destruction remained unclear as rescue teams had yet to reach several affected communities. Scientists are also investigating what triggered the sudden flooding.

A powerful landslide blocked the Bhote Koshi River in the mountainous region, allowing water to build up before a torrent surged downstream toward Nepal.

Researchers have suggested that a glacier may have broken away and fallen into the valley, potentially triggering or intensifying the landslide, as per the CNN news.

The possibility underscores the complex and cascading risks faced by communities in the Himalayas, where steep terrain, unstable slopes, glaciers and extreme weather can combine to produce sudden and highly destructive floods.

It was not immediately clear how much of the flooding was caused by the landslide itself and how much may have been intensified by a possible glacier collapse.

India has stepped up humanitarian assistance to Nepal as rescue and relief operations continue. On Thursday, a second flight carrying 37.5 tonnes of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief material, including medicines and food packets, was dispatched to Nepal.

“A second flight has just taken off, carrying 37.5 tonnes of HADR (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief) material, medicines and food packets for Nepal,” an official said in a post on X, accompanied by a video showing the supplies being loaded onto a military aircraft.

India had sent 10 tonnes of relief material, including essential medicines, on Wednesday. However, no National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team has so far been deployed in Nepal, NDRF Inspector General Narendra Singh Bundela said Thursday morning.

“At present, no NDRF team has been sent to Nepal. Teams have been kept on standby. If a request is received from the Nepal government and the Government of India decides accordingly, an NDRF team will be sent,” he was quoted as saying by several media outlets.

The Indian embassies in Nepal and China have also established helplines to provide information and assistance regarding Indian nationals affected by the floods. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with his Nepali counterpart Balendra Shah on Wednesday and expressed condolences over the loss of life.

“India is prepared to provide Nepal with all possible types of humanitarian assistance. Our teams are closely coordinating on rescue and relief efforts,” Modi said in a post on X.

Beyond the humanitarian crisis, critical trade infrastructure in the frontier region has been damaged, threatening an extended halt in economic activity between the two countries. That includes Gyirong Port, which facilitates nearly a third of China-Nepal trade as of 2024.

The destruction could leave businesses and traders dependent on alternative routes while authorities work to rebuild roads, bridges and customs infrastructure.

The disaster is particularly significant because the border region has repeatedly suffered damage from major natural disasters.

The Gyirong bridge was itself destroyed by flooding last year and only resumed operations at the beginning of 2026, according to Chinese customs authorities.

Another major crossing, Zhangmu Port, was badly damaged in the 2015 Nepal earthquake and did not reopen until 2023. (Agencies)