Catastrophic flash flooding in Nepal Wednesday killed at least 160 people and left hundreds more missing \u2014 including over 40 Americans \u2014 as harrowing footage shows a massive surge of water descending from the mountains, sending dozens of terrified people running for their lives.<\/p>\n
The flooding is believed to have been caused by a wall of mud and rock that collapsed into a river on the Himalayan border between Nepal and China-controlled Tibet<\/a>.<\/p>\n At least 157 people were killed on the Nepali side, and more than 341 foreign nationals are missing \u2014 including 47 Americans, officials said.<\/p>\n Rescuers transport an elderly woman rescued from a Devighat old age home following a flash flood in Trishuli Bazar, Nuwakot district, Nepal, 26 August 2026. NARENDRA SHRESTHA\/EPA\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n Many of the missing locals were trekking near the Gosaikunda Lake region or traveling through the border town of Rasuwagadhi, coinciding with the Nepali festival of Janai Purnima, according to CNBC<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Chinese leader Xi Jinping<\/a> has urged an \u201call-out\u201d search effort after state media confirmed three people died in the landslide over the border and 265 were still missing.\u00a0<\/p>\n China has deployed over 570 emergency personnel and rescue equipment to Gyirong County to assist search efforts, per China\u2019s state broadcast CGTN<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n There were \u201csignificant\u201d casualties in Gyirong at Tibet\u2019s border with Nepal, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.\u00a0<\/p>\n At least 19 bridges and nearly 25 miles of road were all swept away by the floodwaters, with several villages and hydropower projects also decimated, locals officials said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nepal\u2019s Ministry of Energy<\/a> reported that 15 hydropower plants under construction were damaged, knocking out over 400 megawatts of power, while hundreds of cargo trucks and imported electric vehicles were swept away.<\/p>\n Nepal\u2019s foreign minister Shisir Khanal told the country\u2019s parliament Wednesday that initial reports suggested the floods may have been the result of an avalanche triggered by an earthquake.<\/p>\n The United States Geological Survey reported recording a 4.4-magnitude quake around the time the security footage was taken at the border.<\/p>\n A CCTV screengrab shows people running away as a wall of mud and water destroys buildings in a valley at the Nepal-China border in Gyirong, Tibet region, China on August 26, 2026. SOCIAL MEDIA via REUTERS<\/p>\n However, USGS hours later clarified that the trembling detected was not an earthquake, but caused by the landslide itself, registering as the equivalent of a 5.2-magnitude quake.<\/p>\n The powerful torrent of water and debris swept away homes, roads and businesses in Nepal, while Tibetan officials said they feared \u201cmajor casualties\u201d in the wake of the calamity, according to reports in local media.<\/p>\n Residents look at houses partially submerged in muddy water after flash floods at Trishuli Bazar in Nepal\u2019s Nuwakot district on August 26, 2026 AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n Flood alerts have been issued in populated areas downstream from the mountains, including the northern Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.<\/p>\n Disaster agencies have also issued secondary flood warnings, cautioning that remaining river blockages upstream along the Trishuli River basin could trigger additional outburst floods, according to NDTV<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n At least 62 Nepali citizens were unaccounted for, with at least 28 police officials among the missing, said Nepali police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n At least 341 foreign nationals were reported missing from the region, including 47 from the US \u2014 three were listed as traveling with the Nepali Fishtail Tours and Travel Tourism Agency \u2014 133 from India on a Hindu pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, 34 from Australia, 33 from the UK and 24 from Canada, according to Nepal\u2019s tourism board.<\/p>\n Consular reports also include 53 Ukrainians, 17 Malaysians, and 8 South Korean hydro-plant engineers among the missing.<\/p>\n The US Embassy said it was \u201cdeeply saddened\u201d by the death toll and urged US citizens in the affected regions to avoid low-lying areas, seek higher ground and follow local instructions.<\/p>\n A State Department spokesperson said the federal agency \u201cis aware of Americans impacted by floods in Nepal and is closely tracking the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n However the spokesperson did not offer details about the number of missing US citizens or their conditions.<\/p>\n