The recent catastrophic landslides along the Nepal-Tibet border have led to devastating flash floods, leaving at least 54 Americans unaccounted for among hundreds reported missing.
Nepali police data indicates that a total of 579 individuals are currently missing due to this calamity.
Within this figure, 54 are from the United States, 24 hail from Canada, and 33 are identified as UK citizens. Additionally, Nepali authorities report that 113 of the missing are local tourists.
Overall, the missing include 466 foreign nationals from a diverse range of 28 countries.
The Prime Minister’s office in Nepal has announced that search and rescue teams have so far recovered 157 bodies, with substantial rescue operations continuing into Wednesday evening.
Harrowing footage from the scene showed fast-flowing floodwater ripping through the streets and destroying everything – including homes and bridges – in its path.
River banks burst as walls of water came rushing through the densely populated areas, sweeping people underwater as others sought safety on higher ground.
Aerial footage showed floodwater completely consuming land near the Nepal-Tibet border, sending people running for their lives as buildings collapsed in seconds.
A landslide hit Nepal at 8.37am local time, which then triggered an avalanche after a colossal glacier snapped, and debris then caused the horror flooding.
The water carved up nearly 30 miles of land from China-controlled Tibet down into the Nepali town of Trishuli, leaving a path of near total destruction in its wake.
Footage shows people running away as a wall of mud and water destroys buildings in a valley at Nepal-China border, in Gyirong, Tibet region, China August 26, 2026
Several people have been killed by the flash floods, with many more casualties expected to be reported. Of the missing tourists, 466 are foreign nationals from 28 different countries
Houses lie partially submerged in muddy water along a riverside after flash floods at Trishuli Bazar in Nepal’s Nuwakot district on August 26, 2026
Houses and trucks lie deluged in sludge after flash floods at Trishuli Bazar in Nepal’s Nuwakot district
Preliminary reports in Nepal suggested the whole ordeal was caused by a magnitude 4.4 earthquake, but the US Geological Survery disputed the claims.
The US State Department said they are aware of American citizens affected by the floods and are ‘closely tracking the situation’.
They are working with local authorities to aid citizens, and said they have ‘no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans’, a spokesperson said.
Entire homes and buildings were buried in the muddy deluge, with just their rooves peaking through the devastated landscape.
Terrified residents in Trishuli Bazar, Nepal’s Nuwakot region, which was badly hit, were seen scurrying to the very top of buildings to avoid the massacre below.
Meanwhile, relatives who could not find their loved ones flocked to many of Nepal’s trauma centers and hospitals in search of them, or to check injury lists.
Elderly locals, covered in soot and dirt from the flowing torrents, were carried in construction vehicles after being dug out from the saturated ground.
One frail victim was seen being carried to safety in the arms of a rescuer.
A drone view shows mud covering properties following a flash flood at Trishuli in Nuwakot district, Nepal
Floodwaters sweep through the area in Nepal following the landslide
An area along the Trishuli River, located in Dhungebazar, is destroyed in the flooding
A survivor is airlifted following a flash flood at Trishuli in Nuwakot district
Houses lie partially submerged in muddy water along a riverside after flash floods
A three-month-old baby is among the deceased, according to Nepal police, according to the BBC.
Teenagers as young as 12 and 14, and two three-year-olds are receiving treatment at hospitals across the country, the outlet reported.
The list of injured victims includes details of their injuries, with some said to have scratches ‘all over the body,’ and others ‘unable to speak.’
First responders, including army personnel and police officers, are among those missing in Nepal.
As of now, 44 army personnel and 28 police officers are unaccounted for. Another 13 armed police officers and 60 power workers are also missing.
Entire homes and buildings were buried in the muddy deluge, with just their rooves peaking through the devastated landscape
Family members check a list of people who were injured following a deadly flash flood, outside a trauma centre of Bir Hospital in Kathmandu
Locals take refuge on a rooftop as floodwaters sweep through Trishuli Bazar, Nuwakot, in Nepal, following a flash flood
Houses and trucks lie deluged in sludge after flash floods at Trishuli Bazar in Nepal’s Nuwakot district
The number of dead has not yet been confirmed – but over 500 people are missing
Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah released a statement following the natural disaster.
‘The entire nation has been left shocked and deeply distressed by the loss of life and damage to property,’ he said in a social media post.
Shah went on to offer his ‘deepest condolences’ and ‘heartfelt tributes’ to those who lost their lives and those they love.
The PM also noted that the government ‘immediately mobilized all its resources’ to help with rescue efforts ‘without delay.’
Sonam Dorjee, a local who works as a tour guide for international tourists, said that when the flash flood hit, it sounded like ‘an earthquake.’
Hundreds of people are missing following the deadly floods in Nepal, which swept away large pieces of infrastructure
Rescuers use construction vehicles to carry a victim of the flash floods to safety along the Trishuli River in Nepal’s Nuwakot district
An elderly woman is rescued from a building that was damaged in the floods
The Nepal police has published a list of some of the flood victims who are receiving treatment at hospitals
‘My house has collapsed… I have seen a photo,’ Dorjee told the outlet.
He shared the devastating news that his sister, Dechen Tamang, and her husband are missing, along with several other of his family members.
The flash floods hit along the border of Nepal, a small Himalayan nation, Tibet, and China.
At least three people have been killed in China, and more than 250 are missing, according to state media.
A mudslide also hit China’s Gyrirong port as President Xi Jinping ordered ‘all-out’ search efforts.
Nepal’s foreign ministry first said an earthquake triggered a massive landslide, which blocked the Bhote Koshie River and sent water downstream from China to Nepal.
It has since been confirmed by experts that a ‘substantial portion’ of a ‘glacier snout’ broke off and crashed onto the valley floor, sparking a landslide, then a flood.