Nepal death toll rises to 579, nearly 2,000 people missing
Nepal’s disaster management authority says the death toll has risen to 579.
The agency said the number of people reported missing has doubled to 1,924, as more local residents were added to the tally.
The number of foreign nationals reported missing remains at 517.
Rescuers grapple with mountain of challenges after the Nepal-Tibet floods
Emergency services are rushing to find survivors and treat the wounded after a devastating flash flood on the border of Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday killed more than 500 people, with over a thousand still missing.
But the remote and rugged terrain, as well as the risk of further flooding from upstream lakes formed by piles of debris, make their work as delicate as it is dangerous.
EU pledges two million euros in Nepal flood aid
The European Union has promised two million euros ($2.3 mn) in aid for Nepal following the devastating flash floods.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X that the "immediate humanitarian aid" would help "deliver life-saving assistance to families and communities hit hardest".
'Ran for our lives': Survivors recount terrifying escape
Some survivors of the deadly floods on the Nepal-China border ran for their lives, others narrowly missed disaster, but all were eyewitnesses to a major calamity and its aftermath.
Sivaranjani Muthunathan was travelling by bus with 56 others from India's southern state of Tamil Nadu when they became stuck in what they thought was a traffic jam.
"Then there was fog, smoke, something that seemed to suddenly engulf us," she told reporters, showing a video she recorded on her phone of a torrent surging towards her.
Vehicles were swept away or buried under mud around them.
"One by one, we climbed out through the driver's side," she said. "Every vehicle in front of us, behind us, was gone."
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Nepal floods explained: The chain of events behind the disaster
A glacier broke apart. An ice and rock avalanche followed. Then came an earthquake, before a landslide triggered devastating floods that tore through kilometres of valley.
This is what happened along the Nepal-China border, where rescue teams are still trying to recover survivors 48 hours after the catastrophe.
This video breaks down the chain of events and offers the scientific explanations behind the disaster.
Nepal declines foreign rescue help, South Korea says it is 'negotiating'
Nepal does not need foreign assistance for search-and-rescue operations, its foreign ministry has said, despite offers of help from several countries with nationals missing in the disaster.
Hundreds of foreign nationals are still missing, including from South Korea, which said it has already sent a response team to Nepal and will also dispatch a disaster relief team.
"The offer for help is natural. Our security agencies are doing the search and rescue operation. For now we don’t require such help," Lok Bahadur Chhetri, spokesperson for Nepal’s foreign ministry, said without providing further details.
The Kathmandu Post reported that India, China, the United States, Britain, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had asked the government to allow their search-and-rescue teams to assist in the operation.
South Korea’s foreign ministry said Nepal had indicated it was not yet planning to accept foreign rescue teams.
"South Korea will keep negotiating with Nepal over the matter," the ministry added.
📸 In pictures: Families look for missing people in Nepal
Lists of missing persons, accompanied by photographs, are posted on the streets of Kathmandu. © AFP
A relative consoles Jenisha, centre, as she cries while waiting for the news of her father missing after flash flooding in Nepal's Nuwakot district, on August 28, 2026. © Rajesh Kumar Singh, AP
🎥 Army rescues hundreds trapped in hydropower tunnel
🎥 Around 93,000 people affected, according to the Red Cross
The death toll continues to rise in the Nepal and Tibet floods as the situation remains fast-moving.
The Red Cross says around 93,000 people have been affected. International aid is arriving from several countries, but rescue efforts have been hampered by the difficulty of coordinating operations in the remote Himalayan terrain.
The epicentre of the disaster was only reached 48 hours after the floods began.
the broadcaster's Jamie Smith-Maillet has the latest.
🎥 Army rescues hundreds trapped in tunnel as flood risk reignites
Nepal floods trauma 'enormous', Red Cross says
The level of trauma cascading from the Nepal flash floods is "enormous", the Red Cross said, with early estimates suggesting 93,000 people may have been affected.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the world's largest humanitarian network, fears the death toll from Wednesday's disaster, already above 500, will continue to rise.
"Due to roads and bridges having been washed out and both cell coverage and electricity cuts, we have not yet been able to access some of the hardest-hit areas," said David Fisher, the IFRC head of delegation for Nepal.
"The trauma of this event is enormous," he told a press conference in Geneva, speaking from Kathmandu.
Nepal flood death toll rises to 552
India says around 320 Indians still missing after Nepal flood
Around 320 Indian nationals are still missing in the aftermath of a devastating flash flood that struck areas near the Nepal-Tibet border this week, a spokesperson for India's foreign ministry said.
At least 400 Indian nationals were stranded but safe on the Chinese side while another 96 had crossed into Nepal by land, the spokesperson added.
Rescuers reach Tibet mudslide epicentre, Chinese state media says
Rescuers in Tibet reached the main area wiped out by a devastating mudslide this week, Chinese state media reported, as the search for hundreds of missing people battled treacherous conditions.
"At approximately 4:30pm (0830 GMT) on 28 August, six members of the first response team from the Fire and Rescue Corps of Tibet and 15 members and one dog from the first response team of the Fire and Rescue Corps of Sichuan arrived at the border area... They are the first professional teams to reach the core rescue site," state news agency Xinhua reported.
🎥 'Very challenging' for survivors who have lost their homes and their families
While Nepal has considerable experience responding to natural disasters, the scale of the present devastation exposes a deeper challenge, placing greater emphasis on preparedness.
The immediate priorities are clear: finding those still missing and providing survivors with drinking water, food, shelter, clothing and medicine. But recovery cannot end there. Ultimately, they will need to rebuild confidence and entire communities. Given the scale of the destruction, that process could take years.
the broadcaster's Alison Sargent welcomes Sunita Sharma, Head of Programs of Karuna-Shechen who tells us more.
Nepal flood death toll rises to 538, disaster authority says
Devastating floods on the Nepal-Tibet border region this week have killed at least 538 people, Nepal's disaster authority said.
Chinese state media earlier confirmed five dead following Wednesday's disaster, taking the total killed to at least 543. More than 1,400 people are missing, including hundreds of foreigners.
Nepal monitoring two lakes, flood risk to remain until they're fully drained, official says
Nepal is monitoring two lakes upstream of the flood zone, one of which began overflowing, an official with Nepal's Disaster Management Authority said.
Flood risks will remain until the two lakes have fully drained, the official added.
Nepalese authorities are relying on satellite imagery to track conditions, though monitoring is limited by the availability of images, the official said. Nepal plans to install cameras and sensors downstream, including near the border town of Timure, and is assessing deployment options by helicopter, he said.
Yesterday's key developments:
• The search for 1,300 people continued after landslides caused by a glacial collapse unleashed a torrent of mud and water across Nepal and China's autonomous region of Tibet.
• Nepal and China both warned of fresh risks of flooding in the Himalayas as two lakes that have developed on either side of their border threaten to burst.
• Devastating floods on the Nepal-Tibet border have killed at least 359 people, Nepali police said in an update.
(the broadcaster with Reuters, AP and AFP)
