Nepal flash floods: Death toll reaches 903, 4,247 still missing

PTI, August 31, 2026, Kathmandu: The death toll from flash floods in Nepal rose to 903 on Monday, with bodies continuing to be recovered, while 4,247 people are still missing following the disaster, authorities said.

So far, 272 bodies have been recovered from Chitwan, 207 from Nawalparasi East, 151 from Nawalparasi West and 62 from Gorkha districts, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said.

Similarly, 95 bodies have been recovered from Nuwakot, 55 from Dhading, 37 from Tanahu and 24 from Rasuwa.

The disaster authority said 4,247 people are also missing, including 99 security personnel and 591 foreigners.

The flash floods, believed to have been 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.

The Bhotekoshi River, which flows south from the Himalayan border region, carried the floodwaters downstream, sweeping away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges and damaging hydropower projects.

It killed 16 people on the Chinese side as well, while nearly 550 people remain missing in Tibet, according to Chinese media reports.

The floods also washed away the Bhotekoshi Corridor, Nepal's main land trade link with China as well as the Rasuwagadhi border crossing connecting the two nations.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the NDRRMA warned that water levels in the Bhotekoshi River had risen again.

Nearly 9,500 people were rescued from flood-affected areas till Sunday evening, which includes locals and tourists from multiple countries, including India, the US, China, Russia, the UK, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Malta, Turkiye, Switzerland and Portugal, officials said.

In Nepal's hospitals, which have been witnessing major crowds of people looking for their missing relatives, the focus is increasingly shifting towards identifying the dead.

Photographs have been pasted outside hospital walls, where huge gatherings could be seen scanning them with attention.

Nepal's Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai said in a press briefing on Sunday that the mortal remains of victims who could not be identified, including those that were unrecognisable, amputated or decomposed due to prolonged exposure to water, had been buried following "standard and accepted protocols".

Rai also said that an 18-member team of forensic experts from India specialising in DNA analysis had arrived in Nepal and that coordination between the two countries was continuing.

PTI, August 31, 2026, New Delhi: Describing India as Nepal's close friend and "Sukh dukh ke saathi", Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said New Delhi stands shoulder to shoulder with "our Nepali brothers and sisters", and it is committed to support Kathmandu's efforts for search, rescue and rehabilitation following the large-scale devastation caused by the flash floods in that country.

In a post on X, Singh said: "Went to the Embassy of Nepal in New Delhi and expressed my condolences by signing the condolence book."

"On behalf of the Government and people of India, I extend my deepest condolences to the people of Nepal and their Government, on the loss of precious lives and large-scale devastation caused by the flash flood on 26 August 2026," he wrote.

This tragic natural calamity has affected the citizens of Nepal along with a number of foreign nationals, including Indians, the Union Minister said.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives in this disaster. We hope for speedy recovery of those who were injured. As a close friend and partner, and 'Sukh Dukh Ke Saathi', India has always stood by Nepal. In this trying time also, we stand shoulder to shoulder with our Nepali brothers and sisters and are committed to support Nepal's efforts for search, rescue and rehabilitation," Singh said in his post.

On the day the disaster struck the Himalayan nation, Singh in a post had said that he was deeply saddened by the loss of lives and damage caused by the devastating floods in Nepal, and asserted that India would provide all possible support and assistance to its "friendly neighbour".

India has sent multiple tranches of relief material, a 19-member specialised forensics team to help augment the analysis of DNA samples for the identification of victims' mortal remains, and a tunnel rescue team to offer assistance to flood-ravaged Nepal.