At least eight people were killed, and 291 foreign nationals are missing after a sudden flash flood from Tibet surged through the Bhotekoshi River, overflowing into Nepal’s Trishuli River and causing widespread flooding in Rasuwa district on Wednesday (Aug 26).
According to the Nepal Tourism Board, the missing foreign nationals include three from the US, 17 from Malaysia, 12 from the UK, four from South Africa, one from Australia, and one from the Netherlands.
The nationalities of 103 others are yet to be confirmed. The flood has caused extensive devastation to settlements along the river and has damaged at least a dozen hydropower projects.
Nepal’s mountainous Rasuwa District shares its northern boundary with the Tibet border.
Dramatic visuals doing the rounds on social media show Trishuli Bazaar bearing the full force of raging floodwaters, with houses submerged and structures collapsing as surging water swept through the area.
The destruction is visible across the locality, with floodwaters inundating homes, roads, and surrounding infrastructure.
According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, confirmed flooding was not caused by rainfall in Rasuwa, despite satellite imagery showing significant rainfall on the Tibetan side.
The Nepal flash flood is quite devastating. Lives gone just like that.
At least eight people were killed, and 291 foreign nationals are missing. pic.twitter.com/6cxUs3Naha
— Ebenezer Donkoh (NY DJ) (@nydjlive) August 26, 2026
