Glacier collapse triggers catastrophic Nepal-Tibet floods, killing hundreds with more than 1,300 missing

A large section of glacier broke away high in the Himalayas early Wednesday, triggering flash floods that roared through communities along the Nepal-Tibet border, killing at least several hundred people and leaving more than 1,300 missing, according to multiple sources. Death toll figures varied across sources: Al Jazeera and The Jerusalem Post reported at least 359 dead, The Guardian cited more than 380, NPR said the toll was rising toward 400, Fox News reported at least 273, and PBS NewsHour put the figure at more than 350. Nepal's tourism board said 517 foreign nationals from more than 30 countries were unaccounted for, including Americans, Indians, Britons, Malaysians, Australians and Canadians.

The U.S. Geological Survey initially reported the event as a magnitude 4.4 earthquake, but later revised its assessment after reviewing seismic station data, long-period seismic waves and satellite imagery, concluding that no earthquake had occurred and that the seismic signal — equivalent to a magnitude 5.2 event — was generated by the landslide itself, according to multiple sources.

Climate experts at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development said an avalanche from a glacier likely caused the flash flood. They said water levels on the Trishuli River rose by as much as 9 metres — described as 27 feet by Fox News and 30 feet by Al Jazeera — in approximately 30 minutes. A Chinese government geologist, Guo Zhaocheng, said the ice-avalanche debris flow moved at about 50 metres per second and extended for more than 20 kilometres, according to The Jerusalem Post.

Al Jazeera reported the glacier collapse occurred at approximately 8:40 a.m. local time Wednesday near the Lhende river in Tibet, with the resulting surge travelling down the Lhende Khola into the Bhotekoshi and then the Trishuli river, sweeping through settlements in Nepal's Rasuwa district. The flood eventually reached the districts of Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha, Tanahun, Chitwan and the Nawalparasi districts downstream.

In Tibet, a mudslide struck near the Gyirong Port border crossing, leaving mud more than 1.5 metres deep on average, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV as cited by PBS NewsHour. All buildings in the border-crossing complex, including customs and immigration facilities, were destroyed, according to The Jerusalem Post. Chinese officials reported three dead and 558 missing in Tibet, including 260 foreign nationals.

Nepal's authorities said dozens of bridges were destroyed and nearly 40 kilometres of roads were damaged, hampering search and rescue efforts. The Nepalese army rescued more than 100 people by helicopter, army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet said, according to multiple sources. Nepal Red Cross Society chairman Bishal Kumar Bhandari said the agency had shifted focus from rescue to large-scale relief, with approximately 1,200 people displaced from at least three villages.

Many of those missing were on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a site considered sacred by Hindus, Buddhists and others. Indian spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev posted on X that 77 people from pilgrimage groups organised by his Isha Foundation were at an immigration centre in Gyirong when the floods struck, including 22 Americans and others from various countries. He said there was no official information on their whereabouts.

The U.S. State Department said approximately 90 American citizens remained unaccounted for as of Thursday, that it was not aware of any confirmed U.S. deaths, and that three Americans had been rescued. Speaking at the White House, President Donald Trump said U.S. officials had spoken with Nepalese leaders and offered assistance, and estimated 50 or 60 Americans were in the area, adding that a full accounting had not been completed. The State Department said it would provide $500,000 in aid and deploy a disaster response adviser to the region, according to NPR.

The Jerusalem Post reported that among foreign nationals missing in Nepal were 288 from India, 63 from the United States, 51 from Malaysia, 34 from Australia, 33 from Britain and 25 from Canada. India's Foreign Ministry counted 290 Indians who were 'not contactable' as of 8 p.m. local time, according to NPR, while India's Ministry of External Affairs said 288 nationals including some power project workers were missing, according to PBS NewsHour.

At least 33 British nationals were among those missing, according to The Guardian, which cited multiple tour operators including Kailash Journeys, the Trekkers' Society, Alpine Eco Trek, Himalayan Glacier US and Fishtail Tours as having lost contact with UK travellers. The Jerusalem Post cited one Israeli national as missing, with ZAKA officially investigating the disappearance.

China's Premier Li Qiang arrived at the disaster site in Gyirong on Thursday alongside 500 military and paramilitary personnel to direct rescue efforts, according to PBS NewsHour and The Jerusalem Post. Chinese authorities warned that a lake at the confluence of the Tsogyal and Purupqiangzangbu rivers was at risk of bursting, while Nepal's disaster management authority warned of a rising lake formed by debris blocking the Bhotekoshi River. The Jerusalem Post reported Chinese state media as saying approximately 3 million cubic metres of water were expected to flow into an already dammed lake over the next three days, with peak flow anticipated around 1 September.

The United Nations' humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher announced the release of $2 million from the U.N.'s Central Emergency Response Fund, according to PBS NewsHour, while NPR reported the U.N. offered an initial $2.5 million in humanitarian aid. The Swiss government pledged an additional $1 million, according to NPR. The UK's Andy Burnham pledged an initial £5 million in UK government support, according to The Guardian.

Aid worker Dhruba Gurmachhan from World Vision told NPR that more than 30,000 households were expected to be impacted by the disaster. World Food Programme country director Riaz Lodhi told NPR that road access to affected mountainous areas was 'impossible' under current conditions.

Climate experts noted that the Himalayan region experienced similar flash flooding in a prior year when a glacial lake overflowed due to high temperatures. Fox News and PBS NewsHour cited that event as occurring in August 2025, while NPR described it as July 2025. The Jerusalem Post's president of the Nepal Centre for Disaster Management, Bishal Nath Upreti, described the floods as 'a tsunami from the sky' and said that after the 2015 earthquake, this was one of the largest disasters Nepal had experienced.

Where sources differ

• Death toll: Fox News reported at least 273 dead; PBS NewsHour reported more than 350; Al Jazeera and The Jerusalem Post reported at least 359; The Guardian cited more than 380; NPR said the toll was rising toward 400.
• Number of missing foreigners in Nepal: PBS NewsHour and The Guardian cited 517; NPR cited more than 600; The Jerusalem Post cited at least 540.
• UN emergency funding: PBS NewsHour reported $2 million released by Tom Fletcher from the Central Emergency Response Fund; NPR reported the UN offered an initial $2.5 million in humanitarian aid.
• Number of Americans in the area: Trump estimated 50 or 60, while the State Department said about 90 were unaccounted for.
• Date of the prior similar flooding event: Fox News and PBS NewsHour placed it in August 2025; NPR said July 2025.
• Number of bridges destroyed: Al Jazeera reported at least 19; NPR and the UN coordinator cited 35; The Jerusalem Post and other sources referred generally to dozens.
• India missing nationals: PBS NewsHour cited India's Ministry of External Affairs as reporting 288 missing; NPR cited India's Foreign Ministry as counting 290 'not contactable' as of 8 p.m. local time.

• The precise, agreed-upon death toll: sources report figures ranging from 273 to nearly 400, and none provides a single confirmed final count.
• The exact number of foreign nationals missing: figures vary significantly across sources and appear to be rapidly changing.
• The full accounting of missing U.S. citizens: President Trump's estimate of 50-60 conflicts with the State Department's figure of approximately 90, and neither figure is confirmed as final.
• The current status of the 77 Isha Foundation pilgrims caught at the Gyirong immigration centre, including confirmation of their safety or otherwise.
• Whether Chinese rescuers had reached the worst-hit areas on the Chinese side of the border by the time sources were published.
• The status of the two lakes at risk of bursting — one in Nepal and one in Tibet — and whether any secondary flooding had occurred.
• Confirmed fate of any specific named missing individuals, including Venus Rajnikant Patel and the relatives of Pramod Poudel.
• The scale of infrastructure damage to the Trishuli hydropower project and other energy facilities mentioned in passing.
• China's full response or official comment on international offers of assistance.
• Independent verification of Chinese casualty and missing figures, given limited outside access to the Tibet side of the border.
• The prior similar flooding event is dated inconsistently — August 2025 per Fox News and PBS, July 2025 per NPR — and no source resolves the discrepancy.

1. Associated Press — original — by R.J. Rico
2. PBS NewsHour — by Niranjan Shrestha, Associated Press
3. Al Jazeera English — by AJLabs
4. Fox News — by James Cirrone
5. NPR News — by Fatima Al-Kassab
6. The Jerusalem Post — by REUTERS
7. The Guardian — by Rachel Hall

Read the original at Associated Press

• New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia's first briefing draws criticism and praise as questions are raised about her legal credentials
• Connecticut's Lamont announced $12.7 million for heating assistance
• Charles Messier catalogued the Whirlpool Galaxy as M51 on Oct. 13, 1773
• Pope Leo XIV has lung cancer; lower lobe of his right lung removed, Vatican says
• House Democrats Seek Oversight of Guilfoyle After White House Asks Her to Resign
• Judge Fitzpatrick rebukes DHS over false claims against FEMA's former CFO Mary Comans