Disasters & Incidents
Nepal-Tibet disaster toll tops 1,000 as Tibet mourns
Emergency workers, officials and residents in Tibet held memorial services on Tuesday for victims of last week’s Nepal-Tibet disaster, as the reported death toll surpassed 1,000.
Official figures put the number of dead in China at 16, with another 546 people missing after floods tore through parts of Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday. Including at least 987 deaths in Nepal, more than 1,000 people have been killed.
Gyirong, the hardest-hit county in Tibet, held several memorial services, including at rescue sites, China’s Xinhua news agency reported. Xinhua said rescuers, local officials and residents stood in silence to mourn the victims.
Images published by state broadcaster CCTV showed soldiers, doctors and rescue workers with their heads bowed during a moment of silence. Emergency personnel were shown beside excavators and a swollen, muddy river.
Chinese rescuers were working to reopen a major highway so emergency supplies and workers could reach the Gyirong Port border post, Xinhua reported. The mudslide disrupted power supplies and damaged a section of the highway, hampering rescue efforts, it said.
Tibet, an autonomous region of China, is largely inaccessible to foreign journalists, limiting independent reporting on the scale of the disaster. Experts warned that the Gyirong area could face significant rainfall in the coming days.
Update
Emergency workers, officials and residents in Tibet held memorial services on Tuesday for people killed in the disaster, Chinese state media reported.
The death toll has surpassed 1,000, including at least 987 deaths in Nepal and 16 in China, according to the supplied figures.
Chinese rescuers were working to reopen a major highway to the Gyirong Port border post, Xinhua reported.
The mudslide disrupted power supplies and damaged a section of the highway, Xinhua reported.
Experts warned that the Gyirong area may face significant rainfall in the coming days.
Source note: AFP news report published on 1 September 2026 at 06:40:40 UTC.
Update
CCTV said monitoring drones detected a landslide on the evening of August 29.
CCTV placed the landslide 2.8 kilometres downstream from the Purepuqiang Tsangpo barrier lake.
CCTV said the landslide formed a new barrier and a new barrier lake was forming.
Rescue personnel near Gyirong border port were moved to safer areas after the new lake began forming.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 August 2026 at 05:27:13 UTC.
Update
Chinese state media reported that rescue workers near the Tibet mudslide-hit port were moved to a safe location.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 August 2026 at 05:09:50 UTC.
Update
Nepali troops and engineers successfully inserted a pipe into a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric site and began sending air through it, according to Home Minister Sudan Gurung.
Nepal's disaster authority listed 933 hydropower workers among the missing.
China's water ministry said a newly formed lake was discharging naturally and had been essentially drained, according to CCTV.
Authorities said 555 stranded tourists and 499 Chinese residents had been evacuated from Tibet.
Xinhua reported 2,141 rescuers near the Gyirong site, including more than 500 in the worst-hit area.
Nepal's foreign minister appealed for heavy-lift drones, technology to locate trapped people, forensic testing kits and freezer units.
The Isha Foundation said 80 members had been on a group trip in the area and said there were no encouraging indications of survivors at the immigration office area.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 August 2026 at 04:47:16 UTC.
Update
More than 100 workers are believed to be trapped inside multiple hydropower tunnels.
The Nepali army inserted a pipe into one tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric site and began sending air through it, Minister Sudan Gurung said.
Nepal said 933 missing workers were from hydropower projects on the affected rivers.
India sent an 11-person specialised rescue team, and China sent a nine-person tunnel team.
Xinhua reported that experts said a glacier on the southern slope of Lirung Peak in Nepal fractured, triggering an ice-rock avalanche and debris flow.
The United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United Nations, the European Union and the IFRC announced or offered emergency assistance.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 August 2026 at 04:55:02 UTC.
Update
Nepal's disaster agency said 589 foreigners were unaccounted for on Nepal's side, up from 517 on Friday.
Chinese officials said at least 261 foreign nationals were among those unaccounted for in Tibet.
The Nepal Tourism Board's earlier nationality figures and foreign government statements gave differing counts for several countries.
Chinese state media reported nationality figures for missing people in Tibet, including 104 Nepali nationals, 49 Indians, 18 US citizens and 15 Britons.
The number of Australians missing stood at 42 on Sunday.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 August 2026 at 04:31:51 UTC.
Update
Nepal's disaster authority said at least 734 people had died in Nepal and 2,498 remained missing.
Chinese state media had earlier confirmed 16 deaths and 546 missing people in Tibet, taking the stated overall toll to 750 dead and 3,044 missing.
Nepal's missing list included 589 foreigners and 933 hydropower project workers along the river hit by the torrent.
Nepal's disaster authority said teams had rescued 8,186 people, including 227 foreigners.
Authorities in India said they had recovered seven bodies from rivers flowing from Nepal, believed to be flood victims, but they were not included in the toll.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 August 2026 at 04:24:52 UTC.
Update
Nepal's disaster authority said the number of people missing in Nepal after the flood rose to 2,498.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 August 2026 at 04:05:58 UTC.
Update
Nepal's disaster authority said 2,498 people remain missing in Nepal.
Chinese state media confirmed 16 deaths and 546 missing people in Tibet after the disaster.
The combined figures put the overall toll at 750 dead and 3,044 missing.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 August 2026 at 04:13:23 UTC.
Update
Nepal's disaster authority said the flood death toll had risen to 734.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 August 2026 at 04:03:39 UTC.
Update
Heavy overnight rain and rising river waters hampered rescue work at the Trishuli 3A site on Sunday.
Nepal's army said rainfall after around 2:00 am raised the river level and filled the excavation area.
Army teams broke through into the upper part of a mud-swamped tunnel on Saturday evening and began pumping air and sending a camera inside.
The prime minister's office said teams were using advanced search cameras and specialised monitors.
Nepal's expert mountain rescue teams were joining the search at another damaged hydropower site.
The Nepal Electricity Authority said 11 hydropower stations and one solar station, with combined capacity of 431.1 megawatts, had stopped operating.
The Nepal Electricity Authority said another 15 power projects under construction, with planned capacity of 470 megawatts, had been damaged.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 August 2026 at 03:35:10 UTC.
Update
Nepali rescuers inserted a pipe into a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric site and started sending air through it.
More than 100 workers may still be alive and trapped in tunnels, with rescue efforts focused on the Trishuli 3A and 3B sites.
Rains and rising river waters hampered rescue work on Sunday, and Nepal's disaster authorities urged caution.
Nepal's foreign minister said reconstruction could cost billions of dollars and requested specialised assistance including heavy-lift drones, locating technology, forensic testing kits and freezer units.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said a newly formed lake near Gyirong was discharging naturally and had been essentially drained, citing China's water resources ministry.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 August 2026 at 03:13:41 UTC.
Update
Survivors are returning to flood-hit villages in Nepal to look for belongings, documents and memories.
Dhunge, once home to roughly 150 families, is reported to be in ruins.
Several named survivors described searches for personal items after fleeing with little or no warning.
A Nepal Scouts rescuer said debris remained knee-high in many places and that bodies were likely still under it.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 August 2026 at 03:08:51 UTC.
Update
Figures from Nepal and China put the total missing at at least 2,972 and confirmed deaths at 691.
Nepal's disaster agency said 517 foreigners were missing in Nepal, while Chinese officials said at least 261 foreign nationals were among those missing in Tibet.
Newly supplied nationality breakdowns include figures for Indian, US, Ukrainian, Malaysian, Australian and UK nationals, with some counts differing by agency or government.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 August 2026 at 02:53:38 UTC.
Update
Nepal's disaster authority warned on Sunday, August 30, that flood flow in the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa had increased further.
The warning urged search, rescue and relief teams, riverside residents and people in affected areas including Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading and Chitwan to exercise caution.
Rescue and recovery efforts had entered a fifth day.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 August 2026 at 02:31:07 UTC.
Update
The combined number of bodies recovered or deaths reported by Nepal and Chinese authorities has risen to 691.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said 16 people had been killed and 546 were missing in Tibet.
Nepali authorities inserted a pipe into one Trishuli 3A hydropower tunnel late Saturday to send air through a small opening.
The UK offered $6.8 million in aid and the UN released $2.5 million in emergency funding.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 August 2026 at 02:21:52 UTC.
Update
Nepali army rescue teams were drilling to reach more than 100 people trapped in hydropower tunnels.
India sent an 11-person specialised rescue team and China sent a nine-person tunnel team.
Nepal's foreign minister said reconstruction could cost billions of dollars.
Nepal appealed for international financial and specialised rescue support, including drones, DNA testing kits and body freezer storage units.
Canada, the European Union and the United States announced humanitarian aid, while China's president offered Beijing's help.
India's Uttarakhand state said it was increasing monitoring of glaciers and known glacial lakes.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 August 2026 at 00:32:10 UTC.
Update
The total number of people missing is put at at least 2,980, with 2,426 missing on the Nepal side and 554 missing in Tibet.
The confirmed death toll is put at at least 682, including 675 in Nepal and seven in Tibet.
Nepal's disaster agency said 517 foreigners were still missing on the Nepal side, while Chinese officials said 260 foreigners were missing in Tibet.
The item gives updated missing-person figures by nationality, including figures for people from India, the United States, Ukraine, Malaysia, Australia, the United Kingdom, Latvia and Canada.
Several national figures differ between Nepal Tourism Board data and foreign government statements.
Source note: AFP news report published on 29 August 2026 at 23:57:19 UTC.
Update
Nepali rescuers inserted a pipe into a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric site and began sending air inside before excavation.
The United States announced $3.6 million in humanitarian aid for Nepal, including emergency food assistance.
Chinese state media reported that a newly formed lake near Gyirong was discharging naturally and had been essentially drained.
Chinese authorities said 555 stranded tourists and 499 Chinese residents had been evacuated from Tibet.
The Isha Foundation said 80 of its members had been in the hard-hit Gyirong area and reported no encouraging indications of survivors at the immigration office area.
Source note: AFP news report published on 29 August 2026 at 22:47:31 UTC.
Update
Nepalese Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said Nepal and China agreed to increase real-time hydrological data sharing after the disaster.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing had shared disaster-area imagery, satellite and hydrological data, and early warnings about upstream barrier lakes with Nepal.
Khanal called for more research into risks in the Himalayan ecosystem and urged international action, saying Nepal contributes about 0.01 percent of greenhouse gases but is heavily affected by climate change.
UN climate chief Simon Steill said the glacial collapse and flash flood showed the fragility of mountain environments and said a warming climate is making such disasters more likely, frequent and severe.
The item says Himalayan glaciers provide critical water to nearly two billion people and that melting glaciers and thawing permafrost can increase landslide and hazard risks.
Source note: AFP news report published on 29 August 2026 at 19:18:45 UTC.
Update
Figures from Nepal and China put the missing close to 3,000, with 682 bodies recovered.
Nepal reported 675 deaths and 2,426 people out of contact; Chinese state media reported seven deaths and 554 missing in Tibet.
Chinese authorities evacuated 555 stranded tourists and 499 Chinese residents from Tibet, according to the item.
China-side rescue work at Gyirong was temporarily paused over the risk of further flooding from a newly formed lake, before state broadcaster CCTV said the lake was discharging naturally and had essentially drained.
Xinhua reported 2,141 rescuers near the Gyirong site.
Indian officials said seven bodies believed to be flood victims had been recovered from rivers flowing from Nepal.
Nepal's foreign minister said reconstruction could cost billions of dollars and appealed for specialised rescue and forensic assistance.
Source note: AFP news report published on 29 August 2026 at 18:44:06 UTC.
Update
Nepali army rescuers broke through into the upper part of a mud-swamped tunnel at Trishuli 3A on Saturday evening.
Rescuers began sending air through the opening and were preparing excavation and camera work inside the tunnel.
The Ministry of Energy said efforts had begun to send a camera and oxygen into the tunnel.
The US Geological Survey figure for confirmed deaths rose to 682, with nearly 3,000 people missing.
Specialised Indian and Chinese tunnel-rescue teams have joined the effort.
Nepal's mountain rescue teams are joining the search at another damaged hydropower site.
Source note: AFP news report published on 29 August 2026 at 16:57:50 UTC.
Update
Officials said rescue efforts were also under way at other hydropower projects, after initial reports suggested the trapped workers were in a single location.
Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha said operations were also ongoing at the Trishuli 3B site.
Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said an 11-member Indian expert tunnel rescue team had begun work.
Khanal said a team from China was expected to arrive very soon.
Khanal appealed for assistance including heavy-lift drones and technology to help locate trapped people.
Source note: AFP news report published on 29 August 2026 at 11:03:37 UTC.
Update
Nepali army rescue teams were using drilling equipment on Saturday to try to reach more than 100 people trapped in the Trishuli 3A Hydropower Project tunnel.
Nepal's prime minister's office said 82 army and police personnel were working to excavate the tunnel entrance.
The prime minister's office said India's specialised tunnel rescue team had reached Trishuli and would conduct an initial aerial survey.
The US Geological Survey said the disaster was caused by a glacial collapse and that nearly 3,000 people were missing and 633 were confirmed dead.
Source note: AFP news report published on 29 August 2026 at 08:14:48 UTC.
Update
Nepal's prime minister's office said more than 100 people remained trapped in the Trishuli 3A hydropower tunnel.
The prime minister's office said the army had rescued 350 people from the site.
Nepal Army spokesman Raja Ram Basnet said two helicopters had been dispatched and that locating tunnel entry points was difficult.
India said it was preparing to send a specialised tunnel rescue team, preceded by a reconnaissance team.
India is also sending a medical team and engineers with a portable Bailey bridge.
The Nepal Electricity Authority said 11 hydropower stations and one solar power station, with combined capacity of 431.1 megawatts, had stopped operating.
The Nepal Electricity Authority said 15 power projects under construction, with planned capacity of 470 megawatts, had also been damaged, according to preliminary information.
Source note: AFP news report published on 28 August 2026 at 14:01:01 UTC.
Update
Nepal appealed for international financial assistance after the floods near its border with Tibet.
Nepal's foreign ministry spokesman said the country was coping without foreign rescue teams and would request specialised expertise if needed.
The prime minister's office appealed for domestic and international funds for recovery.
The death toll in this item is at least 482 people.
Nepal said several countries and international organisations had pledged financial assistance.
Source note: AFP news report published on 28 August 2026 at 08:51:25 UTC.
Update
Chinese state media said President Xi Jinping offered to aid Nepal's rescue effort.
Source note: AFP news report published on 28 August 2026 at 08:26:47 UTC.
Update
Chinese state media said rescue work in Tibet after the landslide was proceeding in an orderly manner.
Source note: AFP news report published on 28 August 2026 at 07:49:15 UTC.
Update
Xinhua reported that Politburo officials called for all efforts to search for and rescue missing people inside and outside China.
Xinhua reported that leaders warned of hidden dangers from glaciers, ice lakes and geological disasters around the affected area.
Xinhua said China was considering emergency aid to Nepal and international relief cooperation.
Source note: AFP news report published on 28 August 2026 at 06:20:03 UTC.
Update
Chinese President Xi Jinping chaired a meeting on Tibet rescue operations, according to state media.
Source note: AFP news report published on 28 August 2026 at 06:03:13 UTC.
Update
CCTV said 499 Chinese nationals and 555 foreigners had been transported out of the disaster zone as of Friday.
CCTV said rescue workers were using drone-based 3D modelling, thermal imaging and manual searches to look for missing people.
Source note: AFP news report published on 28 August 2026 at 04:44:15 UTC.
Update
CCTV reported that a debris-formed lake had begun overflowing toward the area rescue teams were trying to reach.
CCTV said all rescue teams had been ordered to stand by in place and wait for further instructions.
CCTV said emergency teams that had earlier reached the area were ordered to withdraw one kilometre.
Source note: AFP news report published on 28 August 2026 at 04:26:31 UTC.
Update
China halted rescue work at the Tibet disaster epicentre over flood risk, according to state media.
Source note: AFP news report published on 28 August 2026 at 04:10:45 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
Independent reporting on the scale of the disaster in Tibet is limited because the region is largely inaccessible to foreign journalists.
The supplied current item gives 546 missing people after floods tore through parts of Nepal and Tibet but does not provide a current Nepal missing-person figure.
Source
AFP news report published on .