Nepal Glacier Collapse Suspected to Have Triggered Flash Flood Disaster
The Chinese government has confirmed that the phenomenon of a glacier collapse in the Nepalese highlands is strongly suspected to be the main trigger of the catastrophic flash floods and landslides on both sides of the border region. The disaster that struck northern and central Nepal as well as the southern Tibet region of China on Wednesday (26/8) has killed at least 480 people.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said that experts and official agencies from Beijing and Kathmandu have conducted an initial technical assessment regarding the cause of this cross-border disaster. “The disaster was likely triggered by the collapse of a glacier in the Nepalese highlands,” Lin Jian said at a press conference in Beijing on Friday (28/8).
Nepalese police recorded that the death toll in their territory has soared to 475 people, while Chinese authorities confirmed that five of their citizens died as a result of landslides that struck Gyirong County in the Xizang Autonomous Region (Tibet). Combined data from the Nepalese and Chinese governments recorded that at least 1,281 people are still missing, of whom 856 are foreign nationals. The Nepalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs detailed that 596 foreign nationals from 33 countries and 127 local residents have not been found, while Tibetan authorities reported 558 people missing (including 260 foreign nationals).
New concerns emerged on Friday (28/8/2026) after a natural dam lake that formed near the confluence of the Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo rivers (on the Chinese side) was reported to have overflowed and burst. The water immediately flowed rapidly towards the Bhotekoshi River, a major tributary of the Trishuli River, in the Rasuwa area of Nepal.
“Information has been received that the lake on the Chinese side has burst. Therefore, preparations are being made to send helicopters to Dhunche and Rasuwa to conduct reconnaissance,” said a rescue team official at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu.
The Nepal Disaster Risk Reduction Authority issued a warning of subsequent danger due to the sharp rise in water discharge, although Nepal’s Education Minister, Sasmita Pokharel, assessed that there was no major threat in the near future.
At a leadership meeting of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing on Friday, President Xi Jinping instructed all relevant departments to deploy all resources to search for missing victims and lead cross-border rescue operations. “China will provide emergency assistance to disaster-affected areas in Nepal and carry out international rescue cooperation,” read an official statement from the Chinese government via the Xinhua news agency.
Lin Jian added that the identities of the missing foreign nationals are being verified and prioritised to be conveyed periodically to the embassies of friendly countries.