Nepal flash flood death toll rises to 1,127 as rescuers race to reach thousands missing; PM Shah links disaster to climate change and seeks global responsibility

PTI, September 2, 2026, Kathmandu: The death toll from Nepal's devastating flash floods rose to 1,127 on Wednesday as rescuers are racing to find thousands still missing a week after the Himalayan disaster, police said.

According to the Nepal Police, 348 more dead bodies were recovered from Chitwan, 217 from Nawalparasi East, 190 from Nawalparasi West and 155 from Nuwakot. Similarly, 66 bodies were recovered from Gorkha, 59 from Dhading, 45 from Rasuwa, and 38 from Tanahu. Police said postmortem and legal identification procedures had been completed for 1,113 bodies, while 95 had been handed over to relatives. Details of 911 unidentified bodies have been uploaded to the Nepal Police website to help families identify missing relatives. So far, security forces have rescued 6,541 people from the affected areas while search operations continued for 4,858 missing people, the police said.

Authorities have deployed 7,912 police personnel to flood-hit areas for search and rescue operations, relief distribution and the management of recovered bodies. Police teams are also moving families from high-risk areas to safer locations, clearing roads blocked by debris and coordinating search, rescue and relief operations with local authorities and residents.

Flash floods, triggered by a collapse or avalanche of ice and rock near the Nepal-Tibet border, devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal on August 26. Meanwhile, continuous rain in Nepal is disrupting search and rescue operations in Rasuwa and Nuwakot. Also, there is a possibility of moderate rain in the Bhotekoshi flood-affected areas on Wednesday afternoon, according to meteorologist Rojan Lamichhane at the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.

Lamichhane also said that the nearby areas affected by the Bhotekoshi flood, including Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading, may experience moderate rain in the afternoon.

According to the department, in the past 12 hours, the highest rainfall was recorded at the weather station in Nosyam Pati, Sindhupalchok, measuring 60.2 millimeters. Moderate rainfall has occurred in many areas of Bagmati, Gandaki, and Lumbini provinces, while some areas of Koshi, Karnali, and Sudurpaschim provinces have experienced light to moderate rainfall. The department has stated that the weather will generally be cloudy across the country this afternoon.

There is a possibility of heavy rain at a few places in the mountainous regions of Koshi, Bagmati, and Gandaki provinces tonight, authorities said.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Wednesday said the devastation caused by the Bhotekoshi River floods was due to climate change and the responsibility to "manage and minimise" its effects also rests on the global community. Briefing the House of Representatives about the devastation caused by the floods, Shah said, "This incident shows the increasing risk the people of the mountain region have to bear with the occurrence of climate change." "There is a global contribution behind climate change. And the responsibility to manage and minimise its effects also rests on the global community," the Prime Minister pointed out. Shah said: “In this hour of crisis, we have accepted the reality that the country’s leadership must provide courage, support and reassurance, not tears.”

Shah said that the disaster has not only devastated the three districts -- Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading -- but it “is a shared blow to the heart of the entire country.”

“We have no alternative but to fight with determination and courage, and we are fighting,” the Prime Minister said.

Speaking about the international assistance, Shah said: "There is no question about not accepting international assistance at this magnitude of crisis, and we have coordinated with the international community to receive support and assistance since the beginning." A section of the media earlier reported that Nepal had denied international assistance; however, the government later denied refusing international help.

"Until now, friendly countries including India, Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, USA, Australia, Qatar, Switzerland, UK, Japan and Singapore among others have extended assistance for the flood-affected areas," the Prime Minister said. He said that over NPR 7 billion has been collected in the Prime Minister's Relief Fund till Wednesday afternoon. "Similarly, international development partners such as Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, the European Union and the United Nations have also pledged to provide assistance," he said.

Expert teams from India, China and S Korea are being mobilised for rescue operations in the hydropower sites, he informed the house.

Providing details about the rescue and relief operations, PM Shah said that the security agencies have been deployed to carry out rescue and relief operations in the affected areas, while the local authorities have warned people to move to safer area.

The weather has further complicated efforts to reach missing workers believed to be trapped at hydropower projects along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers. National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) executive chief Dharma Raj Uprety said rainwater has filled a hydropower tunnel, creating additional obstacles for search and rescue teams.

Teams comprising the Nepali Army, Armed Police Force, foreign technical experts and project employees have been searching the tunnels but have so far failed to locate the missing workers. Ganesh Karki, former president of the Independent Power Producers' Association, Nepal, said rescue efforts have also been slowed by difficulties in transporting equipment and even locating tunnel entrances.

"The material carried by the river has reached over the tunnels," he said, adding that it has become difficult even to determine the exact location of the entrances.

Addressing the Parliament, Prime Minister Shah said the government had mobilised security forces immediately after receiving information about the flash floods and kept helicopters on standby for search, rescue and relief operations.

He said there was "no question" of refusing international assistance given the magnitude of the crisis, adding that Nepal had coordinated with the international community from the beginning. Countries including India, Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the US, Australia, Qatar, Switzerland, the UK, Japan and Singapore have provided assistance, he said.

International development partners, including the Asian Development Bank, World Bank, European Union and United Nations, have also pledged support, while expert teams from India, China and South Korea are being mobilised for rescue operations at hydropower site.