In a devastating event that has rocked Nepal and Tibet, at least 273 lives have been claimed by severe floods. These floods were instigated by the collapse of a massive glacier and the subsequent debris flow, which created a phenomenon equating to a magnitude 5.2 landslide. This information has been confirmed by the U.S. Geological Service (USGS).
Initially, the USGS had attributed the deadly mudslides to a 4.4 magnitude earthquake. However, after a closer examination of nearby seismic data, long-period seismic waves, and satellite images, scientists adjusted their findings. The updated analysis indicated that there was no earthquake involved in triggering the disaster.
Experts in climate science from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, based in Kathmandu, have shared insights with The Associated Press. They pointed to a glacial avalanche as the likely culprit behind Wednesday’s flash floods, explaining the sudden onset of the calamity.
“Our hydrological observations have highlighted the extraordinary speed and magnitude of the resultant flood wave,” the experts stated. They provided a striking detail, noting that in a brief span of thirty minutes, the water levels of the Trishuli River surged upwards by an alarming 27 feet.
In Nepal’s Nuwakot district, earthmoving equipment was seen clearing debris left in the wake of the flash floods on Thursday, August 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Rescue teams are now searching for the more than 1,300 people who went missing during the floods along the Nepal-China border. Many of them were foreigners and pilgrims.
Nepal Police on Thursday began posting lists of Nepali and foreign nationals missing. Several dozen Americans were listed.
Dozens of bridges were destroyed and nearly 25 miles of roads were damaged, hampering search and rescue efforts, according to Nepalese officials.
The Nepalese army rescued more than 100 people from flood-hit areas by helicopter Thursday morning, according to army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet.
Bishal Kumar Bhandari, chairman of the Nepal Red Cross Society, told the AP that they have shifted focus to large-scale relief operations. He said that around 1,200 people were displaced from at least three villages.
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A vehicle is seen in the aftermath of flash floods in Devighat in the Nuwakot district in Nepal on Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Videos of the disaster showed raging floodwaters sweeping away cars, engulfing people trying to flee and destroying homes and bridges.
Debris was left tangled in tree branches and power lines, vehicles were buried and mud-covered survivors emerged as flooding cut off travel in some areas.
The village of Soley in Nuwakot, which has about 25 homes, was almost entirely destroyed, according to Kathmandu-based journalist Nirajan Paudyal, whose parents and other relatives live there. Desperate for news, he traveled to the area Thursday to check on his family.
A girl cries as she waits for news of relatives missing after flash floods in Bidur, Nepal’s Nuwakot district, on Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
“There is no update till now. I fear there won’t be any update,” Paudyal told the AP.
The disaster in Nepal and Tibet underscores a broader threat, as increasingly unstable Himalayan ice poses risks to communities, infrastructure and water supplies across one of the world’s most densely populated regions.
The region experienced similar flash flooding in August 2025, when high temperatures caused a glacial lake in Tibet to overflow. The resulting floods killed nine people and damaged critical infrastructure, including a bridge linking Nepal and China.