Nepal flash floods kill 903 as 4,247 remain missing after Bhotekoshi surge

Flash floods in Nepal have killed 903 people and left 4,247 missing after a suspected ice-rock collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border. As rescues continue, hospitals and forensic teams are focusing on identifying the dead in a disaster that also severed Nepal's key trade link with China.Stock photo used for illustrationThe death toll from flash floods in Nepal rose to 903 on Monday, with bodies still being recovered and 4,247 people remaining missing, authorities said. The disaster hit towns and villages in northern and central Nepal on August 26 and is believed to have been triggered by a collapse or avalanche of ice and rock near the Nepal-Tibet border.The floodwaters moved downstream through the Bhotekoshi River, sweeping away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges, and damaging hydropower projects. The floods also washed away the Bhotekoshi Corridor, Nepal's main land trade link with China, as well as the Rasuwagadhi border crossing between the two countries. In a statement on Sunday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority warned that water levels in the Bhotekoshi River had risen again.According to the authority, 272 bodies have been recovered from Chitwan, 207 from Nawalparasi East, 151 from Nawalparasi West and 62 from Gorkha. It said 95 bodies were recovered from Nuwakot, 55 from Dhading, 37 from Tanahu and 24 from Rasuwa.The authority said those missing include 99 security personnel and 591 foreigners. Chinese media reported that 16 people were killed on the Chinese side, while nearly 550 people remain missing in Tibet. Officials said nearly 9,500 people had been rescued from flood-hit areas till Sunday evening, including locals and tourists from several countries such as India, the US, China, Russia, the UK, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Malta, Turkiye, Switzerland and Portugal. In hospitals across Nepal, where crowds have gathered in search of missing relatives, the focus is increasingly turning to identifying the dead. Photographs have been pasted outside hospital walls, with large groups of people seen studying them closely.Nepal's Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai said at a press briefing on Sunday that the mortal remains of victims who could not be identified, including those that were unrecognisable, amputated or decomposed after prolonged exposure to water, had been buried following "standard and accepted protocols". He also said an 18-member team of forensic experts from India specialising in DNA analysis had arrived in Nepal and coordination between the two countries was continuing. As rescue, recovery and identification efforts go on, the number of dead and missing remains high in one of Nepal's worst flood disasters in recent days. With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 31, 2026 11:38 IST