Published : 26 Aug 2026, 10:28 PM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:36 AM
At least 105 Indian nationals are among 291 foreign tourists reported missing after a sudden flash flood struck Nepal’s Rasuwa district.
The missing foreign nationals also include 17 Malaysians, 12 Britons, four South Africans, three Americans, one Australian and one Dutch national, News18 reports.
The nationalities of another 103 missing people have yet to be confirmed, according to the Nepal Tourism Board.
The sudden and massive flood on Wednesday swept through three districts in central Nepal, including two bordering Tibet, killing at least eight people, devastating settlements along the river and damaging at least a dozen hydropower projects.
The flood surged through the Bhote Koshi River at around 9am local time from the Tibet side, affecting Rasuwa and Dhading districts near the Tibet border and Nuwakot district southwest of Kathmandu, officials said.
Officials said the flooding was not caused by local rainfall in Rasuwa and may have been triggered by heavy rainfall or an avalanche on the Tibetan side.
The exact cause, however, remains unknown.
According to Nepal's Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, there was no rainfall in Rasuwa that could have caused Wednesday's flooding.
Dinkar Kayastha, an information officer at the department, said the flooding did not appear to have been caused by heavy rainfall in Rasuwa.
It could have resulted from the formation of a new glacier or the bursting of an existing one, he said.
"We are still studying the matter, so the real cause is not yet known," Kayastha said, warning that the risk of flooding from the Tibetan side had not yet disappeared.
Investigations are underway to determine whether the surge was caused by a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) or another factor, The Himalayan Times reported.
Downstream Areas on Alert
Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading and Chitwan have been placed on high alert as search and rescue operations continue with support from the Nepal Army.
The sudden rise in water caused widespread destruction in Timure and nearby Syafrubesi in Rasuwa, washing away vehicles, goods and other property, the Nepal Army said.
Rasuwa, about 125km northeast of Kathmandu, near the Tibet border, is the worst-affected area.
The bodies of three men and a woman were recovered from Bidur Municipality in Nuwakot district following the flash flood, a senior superintendent of police and spokesperson at the Bagmati Province Police Office told PTI.
