More than 550 missing in Tibet after floods that left hundreds also missing in Nepal

Nearly 1,000 are missing in Nepal and Tibet after catastrophic floods caused by a glacial collapse 0 seconds of 50 secondsVolume 0% Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts Keyboard ShortcutsEnabledDisabled Shortcuts Open/Close/ or ? Play/PauseSPACE Increase Volume↑ Decrease Volume↓ Seek Forward→ Seek Backward← Captions On/Offc Fullscreen/Exit Fullscreenf Mute/Unmutem Decrease Caption Size- Increase Caption Size+ or = Seek %0-9 Next Up At least 47 people killed, more than 50 kidnapped in gang attack near Haiti's capital 00:34 00:00 00:50 00:50 More Videos 00:34 At least 47 people killed, more than 50 kidnapped in gang attack near Haiti's capital 01:10 Popular Kenyan tourist area also has one of the country's highest rates of death in childbirth 01:19 Tiny endangered frogs inhabit conservation area in middle to Cape Town 01:55 Tourists embrace hats as Athens swelters in summer sun 01:42 AP music writer: Dolly Parton 'beloved by people across gender and race and class lines' 00:38 Migrant caravan sets out from southern Mexico amid asylum delays and unemployment 01:09 Icelanders to vote on whether to restart talks to join European Union 01:03 Massachusetts woman suspected in officer's death believed found dead Close 1 of 6 | Rescue efforts continued on Wednesday after massive flash floods in a border area of Nepal and China killed at least 160 people and left hundreds of tourists, workers and others missing, sweeping through communities and bringing travel in some areas to a halt. 2 of 6 | Rescuers carry a victim of flash flooding to safety along the Trishuli River in Nepal’s Nuwakot district, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) 3 of 6 | Rescuers use an earthmover to carry a victim of flash flooding to safety along the Trishuli River in Nepal’s Nuwakot district, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) 4 of 6 | This photo released by Xinhua News Agency, shows a mudslide-hit area near Gyirong Port in southwestern China’s Tibetan Autonomous Region on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (Xinhua via AP) 5 of 6 | Damaged houses and vehicles are seen in the aftermath of flash floods along the Trishuli River in Nepal’s Nuwakot district, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) 6 of 6 | In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescuers prepare before heading to the mudslide-stricken area near Gyirong Port in Gyirong County, southwestern China’s Tibet Autonomous Region early Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (Tenzing Nima Qadhup/Xinhua via AP) Updated 5:52 AM MESZ, August 27, 2026 Leer en español Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit UDIN DHUNGA, Nepal (AP) — China’s Xinhua News Agency said Thursday that mudslides in Tibet caused by a glacial collapse have left three people dead and 558 missing, while police in Nepal reported at least 162 were killed after massive flash floods in a border area of Nepal and China swept through communities a day earlier. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that 260 of the 558 missing people in Tibet were foreigners and two villagers were rescued. At least three people were killed as of Thursday morning, it said. The disaster in Nepal and Tibet is not a one-off. The Lhende Khola river system has now flooded twice in just 14 months and the increasingly unstable Himalayan ice system threatens communities, infrastructure and water supplies across one of the world’s most densely populated regions. The region saw similar flash floods in August last year, when a glacial lake in Tibet overflowed because of high temperatures. Nine people were killed, and critical infrastructure, including a bridge connecting Nepal and China, was damaged. Drone footage in Nepal showed roads destroyed and buildings buried by thundering water the color of wet cement. The region’s steep valleys are economic lifelines and travel corridors but are precarious when disaster strikes. Images showed what appeared to be the second floors of buildings in Nepal’s hard-hit Nuwakot district slathered in mud after the torrent rushed by. Debris hung from tree branches and wires, vehicles were buried and some stunned survivors were caked in mud. The floods halted travel in some areas. Floods caused by a glacial collapse kill at least 160 people on Nepal-China border, hundreds missing 1 MIN READ Eastern China braces for Typhoon Dolphin, shutting schools and tourist activities 5 MIN READ 59 Sri Lanka closes schools as floods and mudslides triggered by heavy rains kill 7 5 MIN READ 59 “When I reached Dhunge bazaar, in half an hour, the flood came and damaged all the market. People were preparing to go to office then,” resident Shoyam Rajbhandari said. “How many people are missing or dead, we don’t know.” Officials in Nepal earlier said 403 people, including 341 foreigners, were reported missing. Sunil Sharma, a tourism board spokesperson, said 133 were from India on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred site for Hindus. Also missing were 47 from the United States, 34 from Australia, 33 from Britain and 24 from Canada, he said. The State Department said it was aware of Americans affected. Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong told reporters Thursday at least 34 Australians on pilgrimages and hiking tours were missing. “We understand these Australians were part of separate pilgrimage and tour groups,” Wong told reporters in Adelaide, Australia. The Nepalese government had not yet requested help but Australia was coordinating with Nepal, the United Nations, the Red Cross and other organizations on a humanitarian response, she said. Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday revised upward its number of missing, saying 55 Malaysians in Kathmandu are now unreachable, with severe disruptions to infrastructure hampering efforts to contact them. It said there is no official confirmation of Malaysian casualties and that it was working closely with authorities to ascertain their safety and whereabouts. The U.S. Geological Survey first reported a magnitude 4.4 earthquake early Wednesday, about 66 kilometers (41 miles) north of Kathmandu, near the border. The USGS later updated its analysis to say the seismic event it measured was a magnitude 5.2 glacial collapse that sent debris flowing downstream with catastrophic impact on communities. It said its determination was based on data from nearby seismic stations, long period seismic waves and satellite imagery, and that no earthquake had occurred. Climate experts at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development said an avalanche from a glacier likely caused Wednesday’s flash flood. “Hydrological observations indicate the exceptional speed and magnitude of the flood wave,” they said in an emailed statement, noting that water levels at one point on the Trishuli river rose by as much as 9 meters (27 feet) over half an hour. The Lhende Khola River, a tributary of the Bhotekoshi, had maximum flooding, they said. “The Lhende Khola has flooded twice in 14 months, this time triggered by an ice rock avalanche from a glacier on the Nepal side that blocked the river and released a sudden surge downstream,” said Saswata Sanyal, a disaster risk reduction specialist at the climate research group. He noted the importance of early warnings in “a warming Himalaya.” The Himalayan mountain range spans several countries in South Asia and has many of the world’s highest peaks and remaining glaciers. The steep slopes and the lush valleys below the Himalayan mountain range are especially vulnerable to flooding and landslides, and extreme weather events like intense monsoons and melting glaciers have become more common because of warming due to human-caused climate change. Researchers in Kathmandu found earlier this year that glaciers across the Hindu Kush Himalaya region are melting faster, with ice loss rates doubling since 2000. The threat from melting glaciers has become a global concern.