Tragic Avalanche and Flash Floods in Nepal's Himalayas Leave Eight Dead and Hundreds Missing

Damaged houses stand precariously near the swollen, debris-choked banks of the Trishuli river after flash floods in Nepal's Nuwakot district. Hundreds of people are missing and at least eight have been killed after an avalanche of ice and rock triggered massive flash floods in Nepal’s Himalayan region, washing away villages and infrastructure along the Bhotekoshi river.

Officials said 384 tourists, including 291 foreigners from India, Malaysia, the United Kingdom and the United States, were unaccounted for after Wednesday’s disaster, which struck at about 9am (03:15 GMT). Roads and hydropower projects were destroyed, and authorities issued alerts urging residents in several districts to keep away from the Bhotekoshi, Trishuli and Narayani rivers.

“We have asked both India and China to help us with the rescue efforts,” government spokesperson Sasmit Pokharel said. Rasuwa district was worst hit, echoing similar flash floods in August last year when an overflowing glacial lake in neighbouring Tibet killed nine people and damaged a key cross-border bridge.

Climate experts at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development said an ice-rock avalanche on the Nepal side blocked the Lhende Khola, a Bhotekoshi tributary, before releasing a sudden surge downstream, underscoring growing risks in the rapidly warming Himalayas.

A massive flood swept through Nepal's northern Rasuwa district on Wednesday, damaging roads and power infrastructure as authorities scrambled to assess the scale of destruction. The Nepal army said it had deployed helicopters and disaster responders to the affected area.

People take photographs and videos of the swollen, debris-choked banks of the Trishuli river after flash floods in Nepal's Nuwakot district. The Nepal Electricity Authority said about 430 megawatts of production capacity, including from hydropower and solar facilities, has been damaged.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah convened an emergency meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority to assess the situation. Monsoon rains from June to September regularly trigger deadly floods and landslides across South Asia.

A resident sits on the balcony of his house surrounded by floodwaters and debris after flash floods caused the Trishuli river to swell in Nepal's Nuwakot district. Scientists say climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in the region. A torrent of mud surges through a river after flash floods at Galchhi in Nepal's Dhading district.