Death Toll from Nepal-China Border Flash Floods Rises to 919, Nearly 4,800 Missing

The Nepali Army has rescued 279 people from several hydropower projects affected by last week’s flash floods, Prime Minister Balendra Shah said. Rescue and search operations are continuing at multiple sites as teams work to locate people who may still be trapped inside tunnels.

At the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project, 254 people have been rescued, while a search operation is underway inside the project’s tunnel. At the Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project, two people were rescued, while searches conducted by Chinese and Nepali military personnel found no one inside the tunnel.

The death toll from devastating flash floods that struck the Nepal-China border areas on August 26 has risen to 919, with nearly 4,800 people still missing, according to authorities. Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said 903 people had died on the Nepalese side, while Chinese state media reported 16 fatalities in Gyirong County in the Xizang Autonomous Region.

Authorities said 4,793 people remain missing nearly a week after the disaster, including 853 foreign nationals. The missing in Nepal include 25 police officers, 45 army personnel, 13 armed police force members, 14 customs officials and three immigration officers, as well as 933 workers from hydropower stations.

The authority also reported that 127 Nepalese travelers remain unaccounted for following the August 26 glacier fracture on Mount Langtang Lirung. The disaster triggered destructive flooding across affected border areas, damaging infrastructure and disrupting transportation and rescue operations.

On the Chinese side, 546 people are reported missing in the Gyirong border area, including 261 foreign nationals. Rescue and search operations are continuing on both sides of the border as authorities work to locate survivors and assess the full scale of the disaster.

Teams are also working to clear and open tunnel entrances at the Langtang Khola and Chilime hydropower projects in Rasuwa. Nine people have been rescued from the Mailung Khola Hydropower Project, while search operations continue inside the tunnel of Upper Trishuli-3A in Nuwakot.

In addition, two people were previously rescued from the Upper Trishuli-3B area, while three were rescued from the Trishuli Hydropower Project in Nuwakot. Four people were also rescued from the Solar Project and another four from the Devighat Hydropower Project as authorities continue relief and rescue operations.