Summary

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  1. UK deploys rapid response team to Nepalpublished at 20:09 BST

    A resident looks at the debris of collapsed houses, following landslide and flash floods in areas near the Nepal-China borderImage source, Getty Images

    The UK government is deploying a rapid deployment team to Nepal to assist those affected by the flash flooding, Ed Miliband has announced.

    The foreign secretary says the team will work alongside British embassy staff and local authorities, adding that Foreign Office teams will "continue to work around the clock to support British nationals and their loved ones".

    He urges Brits in Nepal or China who require consular assistance to contact the British embassy in their respective country or call the FCDO hotline.

  2. Bodies of Nepal flood victims wash up in India - reportpublished at 19:42 BST

    Indian authorities say they have recovered seven bodies from rivers flowing from Nepal, believed to be victims of the deadly flash flooding.

    The bodies were found floating in rivers in the Maharajganj and Kushinagar districts of Uttar Pradesh state, which borders Nepal's southern flood-hit Chitwan region, an official tells the AFP news agency.

    "Four unidentified bodies were recovered in the district on Thursday," Maharajganj district magistrate Gaurav Singh Sogarwal says.

    "We think they have been swept into India from Nepal following flash floods there."

    Three more bodies were recovered in Kushinagar district, around 70 kilometres (43 miles) downstream from the frontier, a police official also told the news agency.

    Authorities are working to identify the bodies.

  3. 'We have no clue where they are,' says family of missing brother and sister-in-lawpublished at 19:27 BST

    Ankit Ranjan and Ankita Chandra pose for a selfie. Ankit is wearing a grey sweatshirt and Ankita is wearing a pink sweatshirt.Image source, Supplied
    Image caption,

    Ankit Ranjan and Ankita Chandra were at the Nepal-Tibet border while on a pilgrimage

    Tanay Ranjan has not heard from his older brother, Ankit Ranjan, and sister-in-law, Ankita Chandra, since Wednesday when the pair were at the Nepal-Tibet border area of Rasuwagadhi while on a pilgrimage.

    He says their whole group is missing and the last message he and his mother received from Ankit was at 07:45 on Wednesday to say they had reached the immigration area.

    "We don't know if they crossed the border," he tells the BBC.

    He adds: "We don't have a clue where they are. We are very much devasted."

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  4. 'It's a very difficult time,' says son of missing parentspublished at 19:02 BST

    Alex Forster
    Reporting from south London

    Prajval Haldia wears a grey t-shirt, standing in front of a wooden stairs.

    Prajval Haldia says he can remember dropping his parents Pavan and Kavitha off at the airport for their trip to Kathmandu, spending a few days sightseeing before moving on to Mount Kailash.

    He is speaking from the south London Sanatan Mandir temple, where 16 people from the community have been missing since Wednesday.

    The group have been meeting daily since the disaster struck, with some expressing a desire to travel to join the search and rescue effort.

    Prajval tells the BBC: "Everyone here is in the same position and that's really helping."

    The son says he is trying to stay positive, adding "no news is good news", and that he has been in contact with the Foreign Office and his local MP.

    "Obviously it's a very difficult time. There's ups and downs when you think about certain things, but we're just hoping and really praying that everything's ok and they are going to be back soon," he says.

  5. Number of missing Brits may 'fluctuate', says UK foreign office ministerpublished at 18:42 BST

    Stephen Doughty wears a navy suit and wine tie.Image source, UK Pool

    A UK foreign office minister says he has had a "very constructive meeting" with the acting Nepalese ambassador to the UK to discuss the "shocking and catastrophic situation" in Nepal.

    Stephen Doughty says he told the ambassador the UK "would stand by Nepal in their time of need".

    He adds that while the number of Brits missing in the region has been cited as 33 by Nepalese authorities, this number may "fluctuate".

    Doughty says: "This is a very, very complex situation, very remote areas and you'll have seen the scale of the devastation."

  6. Kathmandu doctor says he treated eight-year-old whose family was swept awaypublished at 18:09 BST

    Charlotte Scarr
    Reporting from Delhi

    I’ve been speaking to a consultant from the National Trauma Centre in Kathmandu, Nepal.

    In the last 48 hours, his department has received a number of the survivors from these deadly floods. He told me that 38 injured people have been admitted - and the majority of these have been transported from the Trishuli area.

    "Most of the injuries are minor injuries because these were people who were able to escape, however there are some who were pulled into the flood waters."

    "They were pushed to the outer edges of the torrent which is how they were able to survive… they were literally thrown away," he adds.

    He says the patients that he has been treating have "suffered various injuries to the chest, abdomen, face and legs". They had mainly experienced impacts from pieces of wood and the mud waters.

    He tells me about one story that he found particularly heartbreaking. An eight-year-old boy had been admitted to the hospital with minor injuries. He survived because he had been at school at the time of the floods, but the rest of his family at home had been swept away.

  7. Weekend rain could further complicate rescue efforts - Chinese militarypublished at 17:54 BST

    Chinese rescue workers clear debris near Gyirong PortImage source, Reuters

    China's armed forces has said heavy rain over the weekend could complicate rescue efforts, as "mudslides may occur in some areas".

    In a post on X, it says rescue efforts have been taking place near Gyirong Port.

    Gyirong is the largest land border crossing between Tibet and Nepal.

    The "steep terrain and narrow valleys" have made rescue operations "extremely difficult", the Chinese armed forces' account writes, adding "frequent rain" in the area is forecast until Sunday.

    The army says "the main challenges" are unstable terrain, damaged roads, poor weather and disrupted communications.

  8. BBC Verify

    Satellite images show scale of devastationpublished at 17:40 BST

    By Paul Brown and Alex Murray

    The scale of the destruction along Nepal’s Trishuli River has been revealed in new satellite imagery reviewed by BBC Verify.

    Among the worst-hit locations is the Nepal-Tibet border crossing, where the moment was captured on CCTV on Wednesday when the area was engulfed by a huge surge of floodwater.

    Before and after satellite images showing the border crossing buildings in the valley, which no longer exist and the area covered with sediment

    The satellite imagery from US-based intelligence firm Vantor shows the site has been almost entirely washed away. It also shows how the flood was powerful enough to force water and debris uphill to the west of the crossing.

    Damage and mud can be seen more than 2.5km (1.5 miles) upstream, some of it more than 100m (330ft) above the normal level of the river.

    The Vantor images also show hydroelectric dams and large areas of villages downstream have been wiped out, leaving only mud and debris behind.

    Before and after satellite images showing the buildings and a hydroelectric plant, which now no longer exist and have been replaced by sediment
  9. Families wait for news as search efforts continue - here's the latestpublished at 17:18 BST

    Mud on the areaImage source, NurPhoto via Getty Images

    It's just past 22:00 in Nepal and past midnight in Tibet - a bit more than 60 hours since the floods hit.

    Here's a look at some of the latest developments:

    • The number of people missing in Nepal has risen to nearly 2,000, according to the country's disaster relief agency
    • It says 517 foreign nationals are among them. As is not uncommon shortly after a major disaster, different figures have emerged - Nepalese police earlier said 575 foreign nationals, including 33 Brits, were among those missing
    • The death toll in Nepal has also risen to 579, the disaster relief agency says
    • In Tibet, five people have died and more than 550 are missing, Chinese state media says, but it is not clear if these numbers overlap with Nepal's. Here's more on why its hard to gauge the scale of the impact in Tibet
    • Chinese officials are monitoring a barrier lake that formed following the landslide - it temporarily suspended search efforts earlier over fears there could be a breach, releasing more water. Rescue efforts have since resumed
  10. 'We are doing our best to stay strong': Coventry man waits for news of missing parentspublished at 16:46 BST

    James Kelly
    Your Voice

    Bipin and Mala smile for the camera. 60th birthday banners line the wall behind them.Image source, Anant Patel
    Image caption,

    Anant Patel's parents, Bipin and Mala, were among the many pilgrims in the area when the flood hit

    Anant Patel, 29, from Coventry, is nervously waiting for word of his missing parents, Bipin and Mala.

    The pair travelled from Coventry on a pilgrimage, and Anant believes they crossed into Tibet from Nepal moments before the flood hit the Gyirong border crossing.

    "It’s a difficult situation for us all, and we are doing our best to stay strong as best as we can in the circumstances," Anant says.

    Anant has been in contact with the UK's Foreign Office, but he and his 27-year-old brother, Deepesh, are concerned about the length of time they may have to wait for information.

    Bipin and Mala are among several pilgrims who were in the region when the floods hit.

    The area around the Nepal-Tibet border is a popular site for Hindus and Buddhists - tens of thousands visit on trips to sacred sites each year.

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  11. BBC Verify

    Images show flood survivors sheltering in building battered by raging waterpublished at 16:16 BST

    By Charlotte Green

    Dramatic videos from Bidur in Nepal have emerged which show people sheltering in a building which remained standing despite being battered by a torrent of floodwater which gutted or washed away much of the town.

    The first video from Wednesday, confirmed by BBC Verify, shows the building somehow withstanding surging floodwater and violent waves while people desperately take shelter within it, during the peak of the flash floods.

    Debris from other buildings, and vehicles caught up in the torrent can also be seen colliding with the building, which had become surrounded on all sides by floodwater.

    A green house half submerged in raging floodwater filled with debris, several people are looking down on a balconyImage source, X

    The second video shows how the green house remained virtually intact despite the devastation brought upond the surrounding area, around 45km (28 miles) from the start of the flood.

    In the verified clip, a group of survivors can be seen standing on its balcony after the floodwater had receded leaving mud and debris behind. One person can also been seen on the roof waving a red cloth, seemingly calling for help.

    The same green house A green house caked in mood, a man is looking down on a balcony while another waves a red cloth in the roof. Several other buildings in the background are destroyed.Image source, X
  12. Cracks in two other glaciers nearby being monitored - officialspublished at 16:09 BST

    Navin Singh Khadka
    Environment correspondent, BBC World Service

    Meteorology officials in Nepal have said they are now trying to monitor two other glaciers close to the one that collapsed causing the devastating floods on Wednesday.

    They say the monitoring is crucial because some images they have received seem to show cracks on the glaciers.

    They quickly add that the cracks may not mean a sign of imminent collapse and that they could be something the glaciers have had for some time now.

    "But given what has happened with the nearby glacier, we are trying to monitor this as much as possible," a senior official with Nepal’s department of hydrology and meteorology told the BBC.

    The official said they were examining drone pictures shared by China, that were taken in and around the glacier collapse site on the northern flank of Mount Langtang Lirung, which is on the Nepal side of the border.

    Experts with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), an international organisation that specialises on Himalayan hazards, said the two other glaciers feed into the same Lhende river that was flooded.

    "Satellite imagery suggests one of the glaciers may contain hanging glacier ice masses that warrant observation and assessment," said Qianggong Zhang, head of climate and environmental risks, with ICIMOD.

    Scientists say hanging glaciers can be more hazardous because they cling to steep mountain slopes - just like a part of the collapsed glacier did.

    A shaded relief map of Nepal showing the Himalayan mountain region and major river systems. A red callout box marks the location of a glacier collapse near the Bhote Koshi river in north-eastern Nepal, close to the border with China. The Trishuli river and Kathmandu are labelled, and an arrow indicates the downstream direction towards India. An inset map of Asia highlights Nepal's location.
  13. Images show helicopter rescue from Nepalese villagepublished at 15:58 BST

    Images from Nepal show people waiting to board an army helicopter during a rescue mission in the village of Hatigauda, Nuwakot district.

    It comes after Nepal's information minister Bikram Timilsina earlier said some of worse affected areas were "physically totally disconnected", with helicopter being the only viable rescue method.

    People rush to board a Nepal Army helicopter during a rescue operation in the aftermath of flash floods, in Hatigauda village, Nuwakot district, Nepal, 28 August 2026Image source, EPA
    People rush toward a Nepal Army helicopter during a rescue operation in the aftermath of flash floods, in Hatigauda village, Nuwakot district, Nepal, 28 August 2026Image source, EPA
    People react during a rescue operation by a Nepal Army helicopter in the aftermath of flash floods, in Hatigauda village, Nuwakot district, Nepal, 28 August 2026Image source, EPA
    People are rescued during an operation by a Nepal Army helicopter in the aftermath of flash floods, in Hatigauda village, Nuwakot district, Nepal, 28 August 202Image source, EPA
  14. Why it's difficult to know the scale of the impact in Tibetpublished at 15:50 BST

    Laura Bicker
    China correspondent

    Rescue workers search for victims at Gyirong Port on August 28, 2026 in Gyirong, Xizang Autonomous Region of China.Image source, VCG via Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Tibet is one of the most strictly controlled regions in China

    Tibet, which China annexed in the 1950s, is one of the most strictly controlled regions in the country.

    It has long demanded greater autonomy and is heavily monitored because Beijing fears any signs of instability such as protests.

    That is why orders have come personally from the top leader Xi Jinping, and Premier Li Qiang visited the site on Thursday. It is rare for him to make a visit so soon after a major disaster.

    To get into Tibet requires a special visa and it is difficult, if not impossible, for foreign media to gain entry. Trying to contact people there is just as hard.

    This makes it very difficult for us to know what is happening, and we are relying heavily on reports from Chinese state media.

    Pilgrims making their way from Nepal through Tibet to the sacred mountain of Mount Kailash need four separate permits, which includes special permission from the Chinese military.

  15. Death toll in Nepal rises to 579, say officialspublished at 15:41 BST
    Breaking

    The number of people killed in Nepal has risen to 579, according to the latest release by Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA).

    Officials say that around 4,000 people have been rescued.

  16. Nearly 2,000 people missing in Nepalpublished at 15:39 BST

    We can now bring you more information from Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.

    In its latest update, it says the number of people missing in Nepal has risen to 1,924, with 15,000 security personnel deployed in search and rescue operations.

    That figure includes 517 foreign nationals, it says.

    A little while ago we brought you an update from the Nepalese police, which said 575 foreign nationals were missing. The two authorities are separate, and the data from Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority is dated two hours after the data released by the police.

  17. Number of missing foreign nationals in Nepal rises to 575 - 149 Nepalese tourists unaccounted forpublished at 14:52 BST

    The number of foreign nationals missing in Nepal has risen to 575, the Nepalese police have said.

    That's an increase from their last update around six hours ago, when they said around 537 foreign nationals were missing.

    There are missing foreign nationals from 36 countries, it says, including 183 Indian nationals, 65 US nationals, and 62 Ukrainian nationals.

    It says there are 33 British nationals missing.

    There are 149 Nepalese tourists to the areamissing, it says.

    Update 15:50: This post has been updated to clarify that 149 Nepalese tourists are missing. According to the latest government update 1,407 Nepalese people are unaccounted for.

  18. BBC Verify

    Drone video captures moment of glacier collapsepublished at 14:27 BST

    By Charlotte Green and Benedict Garman

    BBC Verify has authenticated two videos which show the moment of a glacier collapse in the Himalayas which triggered the deadly Nepal-Tibet floods.

    The videos, filmed by a drone and posted to the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, capture the landslide near the Langtang Lirung peak, more than 7,200m (23,600ft) above sea level.

    Plumes of dust can be seen rising into the air near the snow-covered mountains.

    The location of the clips match the direction of the floodwater which surged down the Trishuli river, devastating villages and communities along its way.

  19. 'Dams of this kind often fail': A closer look at what could happen to the barrier lakepublished at 14:09 BST

    Mark Poynting
    Climate and science reporter

    As we've been reporting, a barrier lake has formed in the region, where water has been collecting behind a natural dam of loose rock and mud.

    One possibility is the water could slowly spill over the crest of the dam or seep through the rocks, which would allow the lake to gradually drain away.

    But the fear is that could also destabilise the dam, potentially causing it to suddenly break apart.

    This could allow much of the lake water to be released at once.

    "Unlike an engineered dam, this barrier has no spillway and no solid core," says Dr Fatima Pillosu of the University of Reading.

    "So, dams of this kind often fail, many within days or weeks of forming," she adds.

    Scientists will be closely monitoring the lake's water levels and any changes to the structure of the dam.

    But they say it's not possible to predict exactly when – or even whether – a sudden collapse will happen.

    We've got more detail on the barrier lake in a separate story here.

  20. The lake of flood water and debris prompting fears of a second flood in Nepalpublished at 13:53 BST

    China has warned there is a "high risk" that a lake which formed after the landslide could breach its banks.

    A type of barrier lake, a body of water formed when debris dams a river, concerns over its levels saw rescue efforts temporarily suspended today, but they have since resumed.

    In the video below, our China correspondent Laura Bicker talks you through why officials are so concerned about it.

    Media caption,

    Watch: The lake prompting fears of second flood in Nepal