Summary

  • Chinese authorities have resumed rescue efforts near the Nepal-Tibet border, state media says, after fears that a newly formed lake of rising water could burst its banks halted operations

  • They say water that was trickling through the lake on the Tibet side has now stopped

  • The death toll in Nepal has risen to 489, officials say, more than 48 hours after flash flooding devastated the Himalayan border region

  • The Nepali government has also released the names of 500 missing foreign nationals, including 178 from India, 65 from the US and 33 from the UK

  • In Tibet, five people have died and more than 558 are missing, Chinese state media say. It is not clear if the latest figures overlap

  • Tens of thousands of tourists visit the area every year - the BBC has been speaking to relatives of the missing. Two sisters whose parents are missing say "we just love them a lot and want them to come home"

  • A collapsed glacier caused the huge flood wave, local officials tell the BBC. The surge tore through houses and roads, and destroyed a key Nepal-Tibet border crossing

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  1. Chinese President Xi Jinping chairs emergency meeting on floodspublished at 09:54 BST

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, wearing a navy suit.Image source, Reuters

    Earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping chaired an emergency meeting with officials to coordinate rescue efforts following Nepal's deadly floods, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

    Reports say that officials decided search and rescue efforts must be "scientifically formulated to spare no effort in locating missing persons from both China and abroad".

    Xinhua adds the meeting heard that aid "must be provided" to affected areas in Nepal and that "international rescue cooperation must be carried out", with the publication reporting China will "provide emergency aid to the disaster-hit area in Nepal".

  2. China warns 'high risk' of barrier lake breaching its bankspublished at 09:30 BST

    China has warned there is a "high risk" that a lake which formed after the recent landslide may breach its banks, causing a second flood downstream.

    As of Friday, an estimated 2.5 million cubic metres of water had accumulated at the barrier lake near the Nepal-Tibet border, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

    A barrier lake is a body of water formed when debris dams up a river. This barrier lake, which formed at the confluence of the Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo rivers, had started to overflow on Thursday, according to China's Ministry of Water Resources.

    Officials say that three million cubic metres of water is expected to flow into the lake between Thursday and the weekend, posing a "high risk of breach".

    Graphic showing location of new barrier lake on Nepal-Tibet border.
  3. Five killed, 558 missing in Tibet - China state mediapublished at 09:23 BST
    Breaking

    Five people have died in Tibet as a result of the flooding on Wednesday, according to Chinese state media.

    Reports say 558 people are currently missing in the region.

  4. Nepal updates death toll to 489published at 09:05 BST
    Breaking

    Nepali police say 489 people have been killed in the flooding that struck the country on Wednesday.

    They add bodies have been recovered from the worst-hit districts of Rasuwa and Nuwakot, with the majority located in the Chitwan district - which is where the Trishuli river runs its course and flows into the Seti Gandaki river.

    Map of central Nepal showing districts north-west of Kathmandu. District boundaries are outlined in red, with Gorkha at the centre, bordered by Rasuwa to the east, Nuwakot to the southeast, Dhading to the south, and Tanahun to the southwest. Chitwan and Nawalpur are shown further south. Kathmandu is marked by a black dot southeast of Nuwakot. Tibet lies to the north of the mapped area. An inset globe in the top-left indicates the location within Asia.
  5. Rescue operations ongoing as fears of lake bursting banks risepublished at 08:47 BST

    A team of rescue workers in orange suits walks on a muddy bank next to a river running through a gorge in NepalImage source, VCG via Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Rescue operations have been hindered by persistent unsettled weather

    We're monitoring developments on the Nepal-Tibet border this morning, as concerns remain that a barrier lake which formed after Wednesday's landslide could trigger further floods.

    As we wait to hear more, here's a quick recap of the latest updates from the region:

    • Chinese state media has also reported that CCTV is being installed to better monitor the state of the lake in the coming hours
    • The death toll in Nepal has now reached 475, local police have said, with more than 900 missing
    • Officials have issued a list of 537 foreign nationals whose whereabouts remain unknown following the flooding. Among them are 178 Indian nationals, 65 Americans, 53 Ukrainians, 51 Malaysians, 33 Australians and 33 Britons
    • Nepal's army says 900 people have been rescued from the worst-hit areas - among them are 119 tourists
    • Rescue operations have been hindered by rain and unpredictable weather, an army spokesperson has said before adding: "I haven't seen this kind of disaster in my life"
    • In Tibet, three people have been killed and 558 are still missing. Chinese authorities say 555 tourists have been evacuated so far today. It is unclear whether the latest figures overlap
  6. US, Ukrainian, British and Indian nationals on list of missing released by Nepali governmentpublished at 08:31 BST

    Rescuer help women to move through a muddy road following flash floods and a mudslide in Trishuli, Nuwakot district, Nepal, August 28, 2026Image source, Reuters

    The Nepali government has released the names of hundreds of tourists still missing following flooding that is confirmed to have killed almost 500 people.

    It lists the names, dates of birth and nationalities of 537 foreign nationals that have been out of contact since the floods hit on Wednesday.

    Included on the list are 178 Indian nationals, 65 Americans, 53 Ukrainians, 51 Malaysians, 33 Australians and 33 from the United Kingdom.

  7. Rescue operations in Tibet resume - China state mediapublished at 08:17 BST
    Breaking

    Chinese state media CCTV says rescue operations on the Tibet side are now "continuing as normal" after water levels of the barrier lake "dropped slightly".

  8. Chinese state media says barrier lake overflow has stoppedpublished at 08:07 BST

    In the last few minutes, Chinese state media has issued a fresh update on the state of the barrier lake.

    The overflow of water has now stopped, with rescue workers preparing to resume rescue operations.

    Chinese officials had halted rescue efforts a little under three hours ago due to concerns of new flooding.

  9. Barrier lake 'overflows' - Chinese state mediapublished at 07:46 BST

    Chinese state media has confirmed that "overflow has occurred today" from a barrier lake that formed following the landslide on Wednesday.

    The lake is full, the state broadcaster has been reporting, and water has been trickling out – prompting officials to suspend rescue operations in the area while monitoring continues.

    News agency Xinhua also reports CCTV is being installed around the lake to better assess the situation in the coming hours.

    Earlier, we reported Nepali police issued a warning stating that a water dam had "breached on the Tibetan side".

  10. As warnings of more floods come, people desperately wait for newspublished at 07:42 BST

    Azadeh Moshiri
    South Asia correspondent in Trishuli

    People waiting on a raised platform overlooking a valley

    Warnings are circulating of more flooding to come in northern Nepal, with emergency workers evacuating people to higher ground.

    We've just reached an area above the Trishuli river, where people have gathered for safety, waiting for the danger to pass. The manager of the hotel we were staying at is here with us, after the army turned up and told him to evacuate.

    In the meantime, helicopters are landing every few minutes at army barracks in Trishuli. They're dropping off survivors, some of whom are injured.

    Outside the gates are dozens of people desperately waiting for news of their loved ones, or hoping to see a familiar face arrive.

    Groups are also crowding around a few sheets of paper hanging on a wall, listing the names of people who've been found.

  11. Chinese state media share details of lake locationpublished at 07:22 BST

    Aerial footage of a barrier lake nestled among mountain tops on the border between Nepal and TibetImage source, CCTV
    Image caption,

    Chinese state television has shared the coordinates for the barrier lake that formed on Wednesday

    In the last hour, CCTV has released the coordinates for the barrier lake that formed after Wednesday's landslide.

    The Chinese national broadcaster reports the lake is located approximately 10km (six miles) from Gyirong port and holds over two million cubic metres of water.

    Rescue operations in Tibet have been suspended this morning due to concerns the lake could burst, triggering further flooding.

    Split pictures with at the top a satellite image of a mountain range located between Nepal and Tibet highlighting the location of a barrier lake at the bottom of a mountain
  12. Police issue alert that water dam has been breachedpublished at 07:20 BST

    Nepal police have issued an alert stating that a water dam has been "breached on the Tibetan side".

    It urges locals, rescuers and security forces to remain alert and move to a safe location.

  13. 900 rescued from worst-hit districts, Nepal army sayspublished at 06:53 BST

    Andrew Clarance
    Reporting from Trishuli

    Brigadier General Rajaram Basnet
    Image caption,

    Brigadier General Rajaram Basnet

    Nepal's army says it has rescued 900 people from the worst-hit areas, including the Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts. Among them are 119 foreign nationals, including 92 Indians.

    As we've been reporting, Indian nationals form the largest group of foreign visitors affected by the devastating flash floods.

    Brigadier General Rajaram Basnet, a spokesman for the army, has been speaking to us at a helicopter landing field outside an army barracks.

    All of the 900 people are injured and receiving treatment in hospital, he says, without elaborating on their condition.

    Rain and unpredictable weather has made rescue operations increasingly challenging, he acknowledged. "But we're trying to... intensify the rescue operations, in close coordination with all stakeholders," Basnet said.

    Asked about the scale of the tragedy, he said: "I haven't seen this kind of disaster in my life."

  14. Death toll rises to 475published at 06:43 BST
    Breaking

    Nepal Police say that as of 09:00 local time (04:15 BST) on Friday, 475 people have died due to Wednesday's floods in the Resuwa district.

    The force adds that rescue and search operations are continuing as are efforts to "remove roadblocks" from affected areas.

  15. 'Please help us find her' - family of missing British woman appeals for helppublished at 06:23 BST

    Nikita Yadav
    BBC News, Delhi

    Naresh Goyal struggles to hold back his emotions as he speaks about his sister, Neetu Goyal Tiwari, 51, who has been missing since deadly floods struck Nepal on Wednesday.

    Tiwari, a British citizen, travelled to Delhi from London before heading to Kathmandu on 14 August with a group from the spiritual organisation Isha Foundation.

    The last update her family received was that she was at the immigration office in Gyirong.

    "It was her dream to go on the yatra. She was happy and excited," Goyal told the BBC, referring to a type of pilgrimage.

    Tiwari was expected to return to India on Thursday and meet her brother and parents. Instead, the family is now desperately searching for answers.

    "We have called every helpline given by the Indian government and reached out to the British Embassy in Kathmandu as well," Goyal says.

    "Please help us find her," he says, his voice breaking. "We are all very scared."

    A woman wearing a yellow saree and a bright blue blouse. Her hair is studded and open.Image source, Naresh Goyal
    Image caption,

    Neetu Goyal Tiwari was supposed to meet her family in Delhi on Thursday

  16. Just a few months ago, Nepal was full of hopepublished at 06:07 BST

    Azadeh Moshiri
    Reporting from Trishuli, Nepal

    People wait for news of their relatives at a mortuary in Kathmandu.Image source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    People wait for news of their relatives at a mortuary in Kathmandu

    There was so much hope, so much joy, the last time I was here in Nepal during seismic elections in March.

    Gen-Z Nepalis who’d overthrown their previous government after historic protests, had helped elect the new Prime Minister Balen Shah.

    At 35, he became Nepal’s leader with only three years of political experience, as mayor of Kathmandu.The fact he was a newcomer was seen as a strength by his voters, frustrated by what they say as decades of failings under Nepal’s old guard.

    Now, Balen Shah has been in office a little over six months, and this is the biggest challenge for him yet.

    The families we meet are counting on him and emergency workers to lead the search for their loved ones, in the worst disaster the country has seen in more than a decade.

  17. Relatives of missing people in Nepal wait for informationpublished at 05:50 BST

    Relatives gather around a brightly coloured shrine.Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    At Trishuli camp, relatives of the missing wait for news of their loved ones

    A woman wearing purple stands next to a desk with a sign labelled "Disaster triage" that two police officers sit behind.Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Police at Bir Hospital in Kathamandu have set up a "disaster triage" desk

    Tens of men in high-vis jackets and hard hats stand waiting.Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Members of Nepal's army prepare for rescue deployments

  18. China suspends rescue due to flood riskpublished at 05:38 BST
    Breaking

    Laura Bicker
    China correspondent

    Chinese rescue efforts in Tibet have been suspended over fears a lake that formed after the landslide will cause further flooding.

    Officials have been monitoring rising water upstream from Gyriong port - the land border between Nepal and Tibet which was swept away in a torrent of mud and water during the landslide on Wednesday.

    They now fear after hours of heavy rain, the lake that has formed within the debris could burst its banks and cause more flooding in the coming days.

    Rescuers in the area have been told to stop operations for now, according to reports in Chinese state media.

    More than 550 people have been reported missing on the Tibetan side of the border - 260 are foreigners including pilgrims making their way to the sacred Mount Kailash in Tibet.

  19. Nepal searching for missing in hydropower tunnelpublished at 05:22 BST

    Phanindra Dahal
    BBC Nepali, Kathmandu

    Nepal's army has dispatched two helicopters to search for people missing at a hydropower tunnel in Trishuli.

    It is unclear how many are missing on the site, but each of the helicopters can carry up to 25 people, the army says.

    Several others were rescued from the site yesterday, including labourers and those living in surrounding areas, the army says.

  20. Rescue efforts continue more than 48 hours since disasterpublished at 05:05 BST

    A man and a woman walk on ankle-deep mud in a Nepalese village hit by flash floodsImage source, Getty Images

    Search teams are still looking for hundreds of missing people two days after a massive flash flood wiped out entire villages in a Nepal-Tibet border area, even as experts warn that a second flood could hit the area.

    Here are the latest developments: