Nepal flash floods: Death toll climbs to 616; search and rescue operations intensify

Rasuwa: Nepal Police personnel carry an elderly woman to safety during rescue operations in the flood-affected Rasuwagadhi–Bhotekoshi area of Rasuwa district, Nepal, on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Photo: Nepal Police via IANS)

World

29th August 2026

Kathmandu, August 29 (IANS) The death toll from the flash floods reached 616 on Saturday morning, while hundreds remain missing, local media reported, citing officials.

As of 6 a.m. on Saturday, police had recovered 233 bodies in Chitwan, 158 in Nawalparasi East, 48 in Gorkha, 47 in Nawalparasi West, 45 in Dhading, 41 in Nuwakot, 31 in Tanahun and 13 in Rasuwa, according to a leading Nepalese daily, The Kathmandu Post.

Gyirong: This photo shows search and rescue operations underway at the mudslide-hit area in Gyirong County, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, on Aug. 29, 2026. A fast-moving chain mudslide, triggered by a high-altitude glacier collapse on the Nepalese side, has caused heavy casualties and left many missing at a port on the China-Nepal border in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. Rescuers immediately launched an all-out effort to reach the mudslide-hit port and search for the missing. (Photo: Xinhua via IANS)

Meanwhile, search and rescue operations are underway across the affected districts of the Himalayan nation. Officials said that the police are coordinating with residents and other agencies to locate missing people and assist those stranded by the floods.

Rescued people are being taken from high-risk areas to safer locations. Additionally, the search and rescue officials are working to clear roads blocked by flood debris and landslides to reopen access and facilitate relief operations.

Kathmandu: A man looks at photos of missing people of a massive flood outside a hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua via IANS)

The massive flash flood that struck Nepal's Rasuwa on Wednesday originated in the Tibetan region of China. It swept through the transboundary Bhote Koshi River, leaving a trail of destruction in the country.

The bodies are being recovered from the riverbanks in several downstream districts along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river systems, including Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading. Chitwan, Gorkha, Tanahun, Nawalparasi (East) and Nawalparasi (West).

Gyirong: Personnel of the Shigatse Military Sub-command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army clear roads at a rescue site in an area near Gyirong Port, along the China-Nepal border, in Gyirong, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Xinhua/Liu Yuqin via IANS)

The officials said that the death toll is expected to rise as the search and rescue operations continue.

Meanwhile, the Nepal government has agreed to accept help from international search and rescue teams. Earlier, the Balen Shah government had rejected the help, stating that the Nepalese rescuers were capable of handling the search operations and that it would not allow rescuers from other nations.

However, according to The Kathmandu Post report, the decision could not hold even a day as the administration decided to seek limited international help from foreign expertise for rescue operations.

Indian nationals account for the highest number of missing people, according to the Nepal Tourism Board's latest records.

Gyirong: Rescue workers carry out operations at the site of a mudslide-damaged road as a large number of personnel and machinery work to reopen the road to the core affected area, in Gyirong, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan via IANS)

The third flight with assistance and an 11-member medical and tunnel rescue team reached Nepal from India on Friday.

The flight was carrying 10 tonnes of humanitarian assistance, including portable generator sets, dignity kits, food packets and water purification tablets.

Additionally, India on Thursday handed over the second consignment of 37.5 tonnes of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) material, medicines and food packets to Nepal to support the Himalayan nation in relief and rescue efforts following the deadly floods.