'Mud Tsunami': Over 350 Dead, 290 Indians Among 1,400 Missing In Tibet-Nepal Floods; MEA Sets Up Control Room

New Delhi: At least 389 people were killed and over 1,400 remained missing on either side of the Nepal-China border as relief and rescue operations continued on Thursday after a catastrophic and deadly torrent of floods and mud swept through several communities a day earlier following a glacier collapse.

In Nepal, 826 people, including hundreds of Indians, were missing while 332 people were confirmed dead until Thursday evening, according to the country's disaster management authority and the police. China's state broadcaster CCTV, meanwhile, said three people had been killed, and 558 others were missing in Tibet.

The Nepal Police on late Thursday night said that the toll has mounted to 389, as per news agency Press Trust of India.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a statement issued on Thursday said 290 Indians were still not traceable. They also said that a total of

Earlier in the day, a MEA spokesperson said in a press briefing this afternoon that 288 Indian nationals remained uncontactable in Nepal, including people who had travelled to Nepal for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.

The missing Indians, the MEA spokesperson said, include 73 persons who are working on the Trishuli 1 power project. "Our embassy in Kathmandu is in touch with the project head to get more details about these people. As you well understand, communication lines in that area, they are totally disrupted, and therefore it has been difficult to get in touch with people on the ground," the spokesperson said.

Other Indians who so far are uncontactable include two separate groups of 37 and 49 people from Tamil Nadu, a group of 32 from West Bengal, a group of 61 Indian nationals from different states who travelled through Richa Tours, and a group of 33 Indian nationals from Kerala.

In a post on X after the press briefing, the MEA said 21 Indian nationals from Tamil Nadu had been rescued.

The MEA has setup up a 24x7 Special Control Room that can be contacted at +91 11 2308 8718, +91 11 2308 8719. For WhatsApp Calls and Messages, one can contact +91 9968291988.

A Mud Tsunami

Videos of the tragedy showed the flood swallowing people as they tried to escape, and destroying buildings and bridges. On Thursday, drone footage from Nepal showed the scale of the destruction.

"It was like a water and mud Tsunami that hit the area. We could see people simply vanishing in front of our eyes," a local at Nuwakot district said. Nuwakot and Rasuwa districts were the worst affected as scale of destruction made the event look more like a moving landslide than a conventional flood.

In steep Himalayan valleys, these surges can accelerate quickly, gather boulders and sediment, and flatten whatever stands in their path, which is why roads, bridges, and homes were swept away so suddenly.

The region's steep valleys are economic lifelines and travel corridors, but are precarious when disaster strikes. Images showed what appeared to be the second floors of buildings in Nuwakot slathered in mud after the torrent rushed by. Debris hung from tree branches and wires, vehicles were buried and some stunned survivors were caked in mud. The floods halted travel in some areas.

There was little time for anyone to flee.

"When I reached Dhunge bazaar, in half an hour, the flood came and damaged all the market. People were preparing to go to the office then," resident Shoyam Rajbhandari told Associated Press. "How many people are missing or dead, we don't know."

Warming Climate Threatens Communities

The Himalayan mountain range spans several countries in South Asia and has many of the world's highest peaks and remaining glaciers. The steep slopes and the lush valleys below the Himalayan mountain range are especially vulnerable to flooding and landslides, and extreme weather events. Melting glaciers have become more common because of warming because of human-caused climate change.

Researchers in Kathmandu found earlier this year that glaciers across the Hindu Kush Himalaya region are melting faster, with ice loss rates doubling since 2000.

Nepalese policemen watch as earthmovers clear the debris of flash flooding. (AP)

Helicopters deployed as roads were damaged

Nepalese officials said that dozens of bridges were destroyed and nearly 40 kilometres of roads were damaged, complicating search efforts.

The Nepalese army has rescued more than 100 people from flood-affected areas through helicopter operations on Thursday morning, army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet said.

Rescuers found bodies about 100 kilometres downstream from the disaster zone in Chitwan district. Dozens of injured people have been transported to Kathmandu for advanced medical care.

Bishal Kumar Bhandari, chairman of the Nepal Red Cross Society, said they have shifted focus from rescue to large-scale relief operations in the flood-hit districts. He said that around 1,200 people were displaced from at least three villages.

A boy looks at the devastation caused by flash floods in Nepal's Nuwakot district. (AP)

In Tibet, a mudslide that struck near the land border crossing of Gyirong Port on Wednesday left mud in the surrounding areas more than 1½ meters (5 feet) deep on average, with some road sections exceeding 2 meters (6 feet), Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported. Roads leading to the port were all damaged, while secondary collapses or landslides might occur as rain continued in the area, it added.

CCTV said that a barrier lake has also been discovered in the direction of the port, posing challenges to the rescue operation. Chinese authorities deployed a large military transport aircraft to send a team to the region, it said.

While electricity supply and communication resumed in the central urban areas in Gyirong town, those linked to the port were cut off, it said.

Rescuers use an earthmover to carry a victim of flash flooding to safety in Nepal's Nuwakot district on Wednesday. (AP)

Hundreds of foreigners are missing

Officials in Nepal had earlier said hundreds of foreigners were reported missing, including Indian nationals on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet. Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong told reporters Thursday at least 34 Australians on pilgrimages and hiking tours were missing.

Malaysia's Foreign Ministry on Thursday said 55 Malaysians in Kathmandu are now unreachable, with severe disruptions to infrastructure hampering efforts to contact them.

New Zealand's foreign ministry said Thursday that five of the country's nationals were believed to be in the area and their whereabouts were unclear.

Experts say glacier collapse caused devastating floods

The US Geological Survey first reported a magnitude 4.4 earthquake early Wednesday, about 66 kilometres north of Kathmandu, near the border.

People walk past damage in the aftermath of flash floods in Devighat in the Nuwakot district in Nepal, Thursday, Aug 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

The USGS later updated its analysis to say the seismic event it measured was a magnitude 5.2 glacier collapse that sent debris flowing downstream with catastrophic impact on communities. It said its determination was based on data from nearby seismic stations, long period seismic waves and satellite imagery, and that no earthquake had occurred.

Emergency Contacts

Emergency Contact Numbers of Embassy of India in Kathmandu, which can also be contacted on whatsapp, are +977 985 131 6807, +977 970 910 7500, and +977 981 032 6117.

Nepali authorities can also be contacted at the following helpline numbers:

• Tourist Police: +977 9851289445
• Nepal Army: +977 9851072914 (email: dgmi-foreign@nepalarmy.mil.np)
• NDRRMA: +977 9851320269 / +977 9849281097 / @NDRRMA_Nepal
• Rasuwa Police: +977 9851254960
• Assistant Chief District Officer, Rasuwa: +977 9851164422
• Nuwakot Police: +977 9851282380
• Assistant Chief District Officer, Nuwakot: +977 9851248777
• Dhading Police: +977 9851229860
• Chief District Officer, Dhading: +977 9851247777
• Chitwan Police: +977 9855013999
• Assistant Chief District Officer, Chitwan: +977 9855088891

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