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  1. 900 rescued from worst-hit districts, Nepal army sayspublished at 06:53 BST 28 August

    Andrew Clarance
    Reporting from Trishuli

    Brigadier General Rajaram Basnet
    Image caption,

    Brigadier General Rajaram Basnet

    Nepal's army says it has rescued 900 people from the worst-hit areas, including the Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts. Among them are 119 foreign nationals, including 92 Indians.

    As we've been reporting, Indian nationals form the largest group of foreign visitors affected by the devastating flash floods.

    Brigadier General Rajaram Basnet, a spokesman for the army, has been speaking to us at a helicopter landing field outside an army barracks.

    All of the 900 people are injured and receiving treatment in hospital, he says, without elaborating on their condition.

    Rain and unpredictable weather has made rescue operations increasingly challenging, he acknowledged. "But we're trying to... intensify the rescue operations, in close coordination with all stakeholders," Basnet said.

    Asked about the scale of the tragedy, he said: "I haven't seen this kind of disaster in my life."

  2. Death toll rises to 475published at 06:43 BST 28 August
    Breaking

    Nepal Police say that as of 09:00 local time (04:15 BST) on Friday, 475 people have died due to Wednesday's floods in the Resuwa district.

    The force adds that rescue and search operations are continuing as are efforts to "remove roadblocks" from affected areas.

  3. 'Please help us find her' - family of missing British woman appeals for helppublished at 06:23 BST 28 August

    Nikita Yadav
    BBC News, Delhi

    Naresh Goyal struggles to hold back his emotions as he speaks about his sister, Neetu Goyal Tiwari, 51, who has been missing since deadly floods struck Nepal on Wednesday.

    Tiwari, a British citizen, travelled to Delhi from London before heading to Kathmandu on 14 August with a group from the spiritual organisation Isha Foundation.

    The last update her family received was that she was at the immigration office in Gyirong.

    "It was her dream to go on the yatra. She was happy and excited," Goyal told the BBC, referring to a type of pilgrimage.

    Tiwari was expected to return to India on Thursday and meet her brother and parents. Instead, the family is now desperately searching for answers.

    "We have called every helpline given by the Indian government and reached out to the British Embassy in Kathmandu as well," Goyal says.

    "Please help us find her," he says, his voice breaking. "We are all very scared."

    A woman wearing a yellow saree and a bright blue blouse. Her hair is studded and open.Image source, Naresh Goyal
    Image caption,

    Neetu Goyal Tiwari was supposed to meet her family in Delhi on Thursday

  4. Just a few months ago, Nepal was full of hopepublished at 06:07 BST 28 August

    Azadeh Moshiri
    Reporting from Trishuli, Nepal

    People wait for news of their relatives at a mortuary in Kathmandu.Image source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    People wait for news of their relatives at a mortuary in Kathmandu

    There was so much hope, so much joy, the last time I was here in Nepal during seismic elections in March.

    Gen-Z Nepalis who’d overthrown their previous government after historic protests, had helped elect the new Prime Minister Balen Shah.

    At 35, he became Nepal’s leader with only three years of political experience, as mayor of Kathmandu.The fact he was a newcomer was seen as a strength by his voters, frustrated by what they say as decades of failings under Nepal’s old guard.

    Now, Balen Shah has been in office a little over six months, and this is the biggest challenge for him yet.

    The families we meet are counting on him and emergency workers to lead the search for their loved ones, in the worst disaster the country has seen in more than a decade.

  5. Relatives of missing people in Nepal wait for informationpublished at 05:50 BST 28 August

    Relatives gather around a brightly coloured shrine.Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    At Trishuli camp, relatives of the missing wait for news of their loved ones

    A woman wearing purple stands next to a desk with a sign labelled "Disaster triage" that two police officers sit behind.Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Police at Bir Hospital in Kathamandu have set up a "disaster triage" desk

    Tens of men in high-vis jackets and hard hats stand waiting.Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Members of Nepal's army prepare for rescue deployments

  6. China suspends rescue due to flood riskpublished at 05:38 BST 28 August
    Breaking

    Laura Bicker
    China correspondent

    Chinese rescue efforts in Tibet have been suspended over fears a lake that formed after the landslide will cause further flooding.

    Officials have been monitoring rising water upstream from Gyriong port - the land border between Nepal and Tibet which was swept away in a torrent of mud and water during the landslide on Wednesday.

    They now fear after hours of heavy rain, the lake that has formed within the debris could burst its banks and cause more flooding in the coming days.

    Rescuers in the area have been told to stop operations for now, according to reports in Chinese state media.

    More than 550 people have been reported missing on the Tibetan side of the border - 260 are foreigners including pilgrims making their way to the sacred Mount Kailash in Tibet.

  7. Nepal searching for missing in hydropower tunnelpublished at 05:22 BST 28 August

    Phanindra Dahal
    BBC Nepali, Kathmandu

    Nepal's army has dispatched two helicopters to search for people missing at a hydropower tunnel in Trishuli.

    It is unclear how many are missing on the site, but each of the helicopters can carry up to 25 people, the army says.

    Several others were rescued from the site yesterday, including labourers and those living in surrounding areas, the army says.

  8. Rescue efforts continue more than 48 hours since disasterpublished at 05:05 BST 28 August

    A man and a woman walk on ankle-deep mud in a Nepalese village hit by flash floodsImage source, Getty Images

    Search teams are still looking for hundreds of missing people two days after a massive flash flood wiped out entire villages in a Nepal-Tibet border area, even as experts warn that a second flood could hit the area.

    Here are the latest developments:

  9. Families in India awaiting news of loved onespublished at 04:40 BST 28 August

    Vikas Pandey
    Reporting from Delhi

    It’s a public holiday in India, but the mood across the country is sombre.

    Hundreds of Indians, many of whom were in Nepal on pilgrimage, remain missing.

    Their families are anxious and desperate for news. That sense of anguish is reflected in newspaper headlines and across social media, where families have been posting videos appealing for information about their loved ones.

    As rescue operations continue in Nepal, many are clinging to hope that their relatives will be found.

  10. The economic impact of bridges swept away in Nepalpublished at 04:18 BST 28 August

    Peter Hoskins
    Business reporter, Singapore

    A local resident rides a motorcycle on the remains of a bridge swept away by floodwaters in Nuwakot, Nepal, on 26 August, 2026.Image source, Sunil Pradhan/Anadolu via Getty Images

    As well as the tragic human cost of this natural disaster, the devastating flooding has also dealt a fresh blow to Nepal's new government and its efforts to shore up the country's finances.

    When Balendra Shah became prime minister in March this year, he inherited a host of issues, not least a stuttering economy heavily reliant on foreign aid, money being sent home by Nepalis working abroad and imports from its much larger neighbours China and India.

    The country's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority says 80 bridges and 40km (24.8 miles) of paved roads have been damaged by the deluge.

    The flood-hit region is along the border with China, which means that many of those roads and bridges were key to moving goods to and from Nepal's second-largest trading partner.

    This presents authorities with not only the huge task of rebuilding key infrastructure but also the impact of serious disruptions to the flow of goods crucial to the country's economy.

  11. Rescues offer hope to desperate families of the missingpublished at 03:58 BST 28 August

    Azadeh Moshiri
    Reporting from Trishuli, Nepal

    There are warnings of more possible flooding in northern Nepal as rescuers search for survivors of a flash flood that has killed at least 469 people in the country.

    Roads are caked in mud in Trishuli, with some vehicles half-buried.

    Police barricades block off entry to some of the worst-affected areas near the river beds, with warnings of more possible flooding to come.

    The casualty figures continue to rise, in what has become the worst disaster Nepal has seen since an earthquake in 2015.

    This time experts believe a glacier collapsing could have triggered the flooding.

    Helicopters are still flying over the mountains, searching for survivors, and delivering relief supplies.

    Hundreds of people have been rescued, including most of the 450 people trapped in a tunnel in Trishuli.

    Rescue efforts continue, and moments like these offer hope to the families we meet who are desperately waiting for news of their loved ones.

  12. Death toll jumps to 469published at 03:50 BST 28 August
    Breaking

    The death toll has risen to 469, Nepal police have said.

    We will bring you more on this story as updates become available.

  13. Nepal wakes again to mud and debrispublished at 03:43 BST 28 August

    A man stands on the ruins of a house as a river flows beside it.Image source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    On the banks of the Trishuli river in Nuwakot district, a man surveys the damage from the flash floods

    People work to clear debris around the ruins of houses.Image source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Debris is strewn around houses in the affected areas

    The muddy streets of Trishuli are pictured as mist hangs on the hillside in the distance.Image source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    The disaster damaged homes in Trishuli

  14. Chinese state media says 555 tourists evacuated from Tibetpublished at 03:33 BST 28 August

    China's Xinhua news agency has just reported that authorities have evacuated 555 stranded tourists from Tibet.

    Information has trickled out of Tibet since the floods hit earlier this week, largely due to China's tight media controls. We do not know if these figures overlap with data from the Nepal side.

    The Xinhua report did not specify the nationalities of the evacuees. India, Australia and the US have said that their nationals are among those missing in the disaster.

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  15. What caused the Nepal-Tibet flash floods?published at 03:21 BST 28 August

    Tessa Wong
    Asia Digital Reporter

    The US Geological Survey says the floods at the Nepal-Tibet border were triggered by a "glacial collapse" - meaning a glacier or part of a glacier had disintegrated. Initial reports led authorities to believe that an earthquake had been the cause.

    The cause of the glacial collapse has not been determined, but scientists have warned that Himalayan glaciers are melting at an accelerating rate due to rising temperatures and climate change.

    Read more on this story here.

  16. Scientists exploring role of climate change in devastating floodspublished at 03:05 BST 28 August

    Daniel Shugar, a geologist at the University of Calgary in Canada, was one of the first scientists to suggest Wednesday's flash flooding event could have been caused by glacial activity.

    As we have reported, it was initially believed that the flooding was caused by an earthquake-triggered landslide. However, the US Geological Survey has since confirmed there was no tremor, and the seismic event was instead a collapsing glacier.

    Speaking to the BBC, Shugar says more events of this kind have taken place in the past decade than previously, which is more than likely a result of climate change.

    He explained that warming-induced glacial thinning can reduce the support glaciers provide to the valley walls above them, which in turn increases the likelihood of landslides.

    While Shugar says it is still too early to definitively link this flash flooding event to climate change, it is "certainly something my colleagues and others around the world are looking at".

    A man with black glasses and a green floral shirt speaks to the camera.
  17. 'We just love them a lot and want them to come home'published at 02:44 BST 28 August

    Shreya and Ashna Ahuja
    Image caption,

    Shreya and Ashna Ahuja's parents travelled from Texas to Mount Kailash on a pilgrimage

    We've been speaking to people who have friends and family in Nepal, with some fearing the worst - here's a round-up of those we've heard from so far:

    "To be honest I believe that they’re not there anymore," says Pramod Poudel, whose wife, mum, uncle and brother have been reported missing.

    “We’ve got to accept what happened because it’s obviously not only my family,” Poudel, who runs the Mo Mo Nepalese street food company in Sussex, adds.

    Meanwhile, Kavya Koulagi Jayatheertha, whose uncle Prabhath Sajeepa is missing on a journey to the Kailash Yathra, a sacred pilgrimage for Hindus, told the BBC it has been "the most devastating news".

    "It has been terrible. I hope he is somewhere safe," his niece says. "We are hoping for good news."

    Sisters Ashna and Shreya Ahuja are desperately waiting for news of their parents after flash floods struck Nepal.

    “It’s only been one day, but it has felt like much longer,” the sisters tell the BBC. “We just love them a lot and want them to come home.”

    Experienced mountaineer Alan Hinkes has previously witnessed flash floods in Nepal, but says he couldn't believe how "explosive" and "violent" Wednesday's disaster was.

    "To that force, I don’t think we’ve ever seen anything like that for a long time," he told BBC Breakfast.

  18. Surviving family members escaped by 'crawling like a baby', says Nepalese manpublished at 02:28 BST 28 August

    Barun Lamichhane stands outside wearing a white sweatshirt

    A Nepalese man living in Aberdeen tells the BBC how he lost three close family members in the deadly flash floods that hit his home country on Wednesday.

    Barun Lamichhane, 26, says his brother, uncle and cousin all died in the disaster - but that his mother, father and grandmother managed to escape.

    Lamichhane says they managed to get away by "crawling like a baby" into the hillside.

    "Luckily they are alive," he says, adding he "can't express" the pain he is feeling about those who have died.

    Read more on this story here.

  19. Lake formed now at 'high risk' of bursting banks - Chinese state mediapublished at 02:17 BST 28 August

    We have been reporting that risks of new flooding persist on the Nepal-Tibet border, further complicating rescue efforts.

    Now, Chinese state news agency Xinhua has said that a lake formed after the flash floods is at "high risk of breaching and sending floodwaters downstream', according to the AFP news agency.

    Forecasts suggest "inflows into the lake could reach about 3 million cubic meters (3bn litres) over the next three days amid continued rainfall" - the equivalent of 1,200 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

    This could "potentially cause further damage in areas including Gyirong Port and elsewhere downstream", the state news agency added.

  20. Almost 48 hours since deadly flash flood - a timelinepublished at 02:00 BST 28 August

    On Wednesday morning, a huge surge of mud and water swept down from the Nepal-Tibet border, leaving destruction in its path. Since then, the number of dead and missing has climbed, with rescue efforts made more challenging by fears of a second flood.

    This is how the last nearly 48 hours have developed:

    Wednesday

    08:37 local time in Nepal (02:52 GMT): A magnitude 5.2 seismic event occurs near the Nepal-Tibet border. This was initially thought to be an earthquake, but the US Geological Survey (USGS) has since said it was a glacial collapse.

    The USGS says the flow of debris from the collapse led to "subsequent catastrophic impacts downstream".

    Moments later: A wall of water and other material crashes downstream, taking buildings, roads and vehicles in its wake.

    14:45: Authorities say 384 tourists are missing, including 291 foreign nationals. Nepalese authorities later confirm that 33 Britons are among those missing.

    By 17:00: Nepalese police tells the BBC that at least 17 people have been killed.

    22:45: The Nepalese prime minister's office says search and rescue operations will continue throughout the night, with civilian and military personnel mobilised.

    A shaded relief map of Nepal showing the Himalayan mountain region and major river systems. A red callout box marks the location of a glacier collapse near the Bhote Koshi river in north-eastern Nepal, close to the border with China. The Trishuli river and Kathmandu are labelled, and an arrow indicates the downstream direction towards India. An inset map of Asia highlights Nepal's location.

    Thursday

    By 08:00 local time (00:00 GMT) in Tibet: China says three people were killed on the Tibetan side, while 558 others are missing.

    Shortly after 07:15 (01:30 GMT) in Nepal: Nepalese police say they have recovered 162 bodies so far. This figure has continued to rise throughout the day - and currently stands at 389.

    Mid-morning: The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader who lives in exile from Tibet, says he is praying "for all those who have lost their lives".

    14:00 in Nepal: An update from authorities puts the number of missing people at more than 900, including more than 500 foreign nationals.

    Around 18:30 in Nepal, the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources says it is preparing for the possibility that a lake of rising water that has formed along the China-Nepal border to burst its banks.

    After midnight, Nepal's officials tell the BBC the glacial collapse that caused the flood took place on the Nepali side of the Himalayan mountains, not in Tibet on the Chinese side.

    Friday

    Around 01:00, Nepal's prime minister's office says 350 people have been rescued from a tunnel near the Trishuli river, as the army works to rescue 100 others inside.

    It has just turned 06:45 in Nepal where rescue efforts continue for the hundreds still missing.