More than 1,300 Missing After Glacier Collapse Triggers Floods in Nepal and Tibet

Rescue teams continued searching for hundreds of missing people along the Nepal-China border on Thursday after a glacier collapse triggered floods and mudslides that swept through several communities on Wednesday. Authorities reported at least 165 deaths in Nepal and three in Tibet, with 826 people still missing in Nepal and 558 in Tibet.

The disaster destroyed dozens of bridges and damaged roughly 40 kilometres of road, hampering search and relief efforts. The Nepalese army rescued more than 100 people by helicopter, and the army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet said eight foreign nationals were airlifted to Kathmandu. The Nepal Red Cross Society shifted its focus to large-scale relief, noting that around 1,200 residents were displaced from three villages.

In Tibet, a mudslide near the Gyirong Port border crossing left mud up to 1.5 metres deep, destroying roads and cutting electricity and communications to the port area. Chinese authorities deployed a military transport aircraft to assist rescue operations and reported a barrier lake forming near the port.

Foreign ministries confirmed that dozens of their nationals were missing. Australia’s foreign minister said at least 34 Australians were unaccounted for, Malaysia reported 55 missing, and New Zealand said five of its citizens were believed to be in the area.

The U.S. Geological Survey initially recorded a magnitude-4.4 seismic event but later identified it as a magnitude-5.2 glacier collapse that sent debris downstream. Climate experts from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development said the rapid rise of flood waters—up to nine metres in half an hour on the Trishuli River—indicated an avalanche from the glacier as the primary cause.

The incident follows similar flash-flood events in the Himalayas, including a 2025 glacial-lake outburst in Tibet that killed nine people and damaged cross-border infrastructure.