Nepal floods kill 162, hundreds missing after glacier collapse triggers catastrophic mudslide

A wall of mud and rock collapsed into a river on the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday, sending a catastrophic flood through towns and valleys that killed 162 people and left 579 tourists unaccounted for. Rescue helicopters swept the Himalayan region searching for survivors as police acknowledged the death toll would almost certainly climb. Among the missing were more than 400 foreign nationals—47 Americans, 34 Australians, 33 British citizens, and 24 Canadians—caught in a region thronged with trekkers and pilgrims making their way to sacred sites. Two Irish nationals and 12 UK citizens, including a 13-year-old girl, were among those unaccounted for after the disaster struck.

The mudslide was triggered by the collapse of a glacier high in the mountains, an event the US Geological Survey initially characterized as a magnitude 4.4 earthquake before determining it was actually seismic energy generated by the failure of glacial rock and ice, followed by a debris flow. The torrent descended roughly 2,000 metres before hitting the border crossing at Gyirong on the Chinese side and sweeping into Nepal's Rasuwa district, a mountainous area with about 50,000 residents. Verified videos showed crushing masses of water and debris sweeping away dozens of people at the border crossing, with homes, roads, and power infrastructure washed away downstream. By Thursday, 157 bodies had been recovered, but rescue teams expected to find more as they continued searching through the wreckage.

Alpine Eco Trek, a tour operator, said its group of tourists was crossing from Nepal into Tibet on a nine-day expedition to Mount Kailash when the floods struck. The company's manager, Kumar Adhikari, said he maintained contact with his guides until 8:40 a.m., when their phones went offline—at which point the group would have been inside Tibet's immigration office. "We were hoping that inside it was safe," he said. "But later the video came from China's government which showed even Tibet's side was hit by the flood." A separate trekking company, Himalayan Glacier, reported 47 people missing from its group, including 15 Australians, 10 Canadians, nine Nepalese guides, eight Americans, two Britons, two Singaporeans, and one Russian-American dual citizen. Seven Nepali guides were among those unaccounted for.

Survivors described the moment the flood arrived with a mixture of shock and grief. Keshav Prasad Baral, a 68-year-old man being treated in hospital, recalled seeing a massive surge of mud approaching his home. "As it got closer, it kept rising higher and higher," he told rescuers. "When I saw it enter our home, I tried to grab my wife's hand and take her to the terrace. But she was swept away by the mud." A helicopter rescued him four hours later. "My wife is still somewhere beneath the mud," he said. "She's gone." Another survivor saved himself by clinging to a mango tree as he watched the house where he had been working disappear into the deluge. In the hardest-hit districts, helicopters struggled to land in some areas due to the river flowing above its normal course, but they managed to drop tents, food, and emergency supplies provided by neighbouring India.

Many of the missing were on pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar, a high-altitude site in Tibet revered by Hindus, Buddhists, and followers of other faiths. Mount Kailash, which Hindus believe to be the abode of Lord Shiva, lies on the banks of Lake Mansarovar, also held sacred across multiple religions. The disaster devastated entire settlements near the river. Tula Bahadur BK, a health worker in Rasuwa, told Reuters: "There is devastation everywhere we look. The settlements next to the river have been completely swept away. Five of my own relatives are missing." In Nepal's affected districts of Nuwakot and Dhading, families gathered outside an army training centre that served as the base for helicopter rescue operations, seeking information about loved ones. Police recorded names of the missing just outside the barracks gate, using mobile phone torches as their only light after damaged hydropower infrastructure left the area without electricity.

China's state broadcaster reported three deaths and 265 missing on the Tibetan side, though officials said the toll was still being verified. The mudslide destroyed roads, communications, and power links in the Shigatse region near the border, with rescuers unable to establish contact with the Gyirong border port. Drone footage showed all roads leading to the crossing had been "completely destroyed." The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs said it was closely monitoring the situation and providing consular assistance to affected Irish citizens through the Embassy of Ireland in India. The US State Department announced it was sending a disaster response adviser and providing $500,000 in assistance. Canada, Australia, the UK, South Korea, Malaysia, and Japan all reported missing nationals.

The flood's reach extended far beyond the border region. With muddy water sweeping down from the mountains, flood alerts were issued in the populous northern Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which border Nepal and receive several rivers flowing down from the Himalayas. Authorities in Bihar evacuated about 5,000 people from six districts and planned to evacuate between 10,000 and 12,000 more as a precaution. Police in Nepal said they expected the death toll to rise as search and recovery operations continued, with more bodies anticipated to be found in the coming days.