Nepal flood toll rises to 579; nearly 2,000 still missing
The death toll from flash floods in Nepal has reached 579, with nearly 2,000 people still missing, including many foreign nationals. Scientists suspect the disaster was triggered by an ice-and-rock collapse at the Lhende Khola, which caused a massive surge of debris into downstream river systems.
Why it matters
The event underscores the growing risks of high-altitude glacial instability and the need for better transboundary disaster monitoring.
The death toll in the Nepal flash floods touched 579 on Friday (August 28, 2026), even as the search for nearly 2,000 missing people continued for the third day after the disaster struck.
The Nepal Police said more than 4,500 people had been rescued. Of the 183 Indian tourists reported missing, 85 had been rescued while 98 remained unaccounted for, the Nepal Tourism Board said. Indian nationals account for the highest number of missing people.
People from more than 30 countries are among those reported missing, the Board said. They include 65 from the United States, 61 from Ukraine, 51 from Malaysia, 35 from Australia, and 33 from the United Kingdom.
Amid questions over how flooding on such a massive scale could have occurred in the Bhotekoshi river in Nepal’s Rasuwa district when no rain was recorded, scientists are working to piece together the chain of events.
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