KATHMANDU, Nepal — Flash floods in the Nepal-China border region have killed at least 160 people and left hundreds missing, including 133 Indian nationals, as rescue workers struggle through mud, debris and damaged roads to reach devastated mountain communities.
The death figure covers the wider disaster area in Nepal and China. Nepalese officials have reported 403 people missing in Nepal, including 341 foreign nationals, according to The Associated Press. Authorities caution that the figures are preliminary and could change as emergency teams verify casualties and missing-person reports from isolated locations.
“There are report of missing Indian tourists in Nepal territory and MEA/Indian Embassy in Kathmandu has issued emergency numbers for assistance and information regarding Indian nationals affected by the flash floods in Nepal. People requiring assistance can contact the embassy on helpline +977 985 131 6807 and +977 970 910 7500,” PIB said in a release on Wednesday.
India has sent 10 tonnes of humanitarian assistance and essential medicines to Nepal on an Indian Air Force C-130J transport aircraft, MEA said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah, conveyed condolences and said India was prepared to provide all possible humanitarian assistance.
The flood tore through northern Nepal on Wednesday, hitting the mountainous Rasuwa district near the Tibet border. The affected corridor includes routes used by travellers and pilgrims heading toward Mount Kailash, a sacred site for Hindus in Tibet.
Nepal’s tourism authorities said 133 Indians were among those missing. The Indian nationals include pilgrims and tourists travelling in the disaster-hit border region, though authorities are still working to verify individual locations and identities.
The sudden surge of water, mud and rocks washed away or damaged homes, roads, bridges and hydropower facilities. The Langtang Khola hydropower project in Rasuwa was among the installations affected, while parts of the Trishuli river region were inundated. Damaged transport links and poor weather have slowed rescue operations in a terrain where access is difficult even under normal conditions.
Initial scientific assessments point to a possible ice-rock avalanche in the Lhende Khola as the trigger for the disaster. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, or ICIMOD, said the avalanche may have blocked the river before the obstruction gave way, sending a destructive surge downstream. However, the organization has stressed that the cause is still under investigation. It would be premature to state conclusively that the flood was caused by an earthquake, a glacial-lake outburst or heavy rain. A scientific inquiry is continuing into the sequence of events in the high-altitude catchment.
For New Delhi, the immediate focus is twofold: supporting Nepal’s relief effort and accounting for the missing Indians. Indian and Nepalese authorities are coordinating rescue and relief work, while India is expected to consider further assistance as Kathmandu assesses requirements in the affected districts.
“State government of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have taken measures such as required evacuation and other support to local Indian communities near the India–Nepal border. Both states have been advised to remain alert and maintain close monitoring of the situation,” PIB stated.
“Officers of Ministry of Home Affairs along with Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Ministry of Jal Shakti and Ministry of Defence are continuously monitoring the situation. As per CWC, the water level on Nepal side reservoirs is reducing and the situation is under control. No panic-like situation has arisen,” PIB said further.
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