Here's the latest
• Many feared dead: Catastrophic flash flooding hit China and Nepal on Wednesday, with more than 150 people confirmed killed and the toll likely to rise as hundreds remain missing. Nepal’s prime minister’s office said search operations will continue into the night.
• Impacted tourists: More than 300 foreign nationals are unaccounted for, including at least 47 Americans, according to Nepali officials, AP reported. The region is on a popular route to Mount Kailash, a Tibetan mountain near the border revered by Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Bonpo pilgrims.
• Widespread damage: Dramatic footage shows a torrent of water hitting the Nepal-China border and villages submerged. A mudslide hit China’s Gyirong port.
• What caused the devastation? A powerful landslide blocked the Bhote Koshi river, sending a torrent of water downstream from China to Nepal. A group of scientists believe a glacier may have broken off and fallen into the valley below, which triggered or at least compounded the effect of the landslide.
US is sending assistance and money following deadly floods in Nepal
The US is sending a Disaster Assistance Response adviser to the region and providing $500,000 in assistance the wake of the deadly floods in Nepal, the State Department announced Wednesday.
The department said the humanitarian aid will be provided “through its global award with Catholic Relief Services, supporting emergency shelter, relief items, and water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance to flood-affected communities.”
The State Department did not specify where in the region the disaster assistance response adviser is headed. The department typically deploys a team of experts in the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster.
The State Department on Wednesday evening underscored that the US embassy in Kathmandu “is working closely with local authorities to locate and assist U.S. citizens in the affected areas.”
Earlier on Wednesday, a State Department spokesperson told CNN they were “aware of Americans impacted by the floods,” but did not provide details.
According to a Nepal tourism board official who spoke to the Associated Press, at least 47 Americans are missing.
At least 47 Americans among the missing foreign nationals. Here’s what we know
Hundreds of people are believed to be missing in Nepal following the devastating flash floods, including 341 foreign nationals according to the Associated Press citing a Nepali official. Here’s what we know:
United States: At least 47 people from the US are among the missing, the AP reports citing Nepal tourism board spokesperson Sunil Sharma. CNN has reached out to Nepal’s tourism board for comment.
Earlier, a State Department spokesperson said it was aware of Americans impacted by the floods in Nepal and that it was closely monitoring the situation. The spokesperson did not provide details on the number or condition of the US citizens impacted.
India: Sharma said at least 133 missing foreign nationals were from India on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred site for Hindus, AP reports. CNN has reached out to the Indian government.
Russia: The Russian embassy in Nepal said contact was lost with at least four Russian citizens in the disaster zone. The embassy added that search and rescue operations are underway but that weather conditions and communications disruption are hampering efforts.
Portugal: Portugal’s Honorary Consul in Nepal Rajendra Kumar Khetan told CNN he has received notice of two missing Portuguese citizens so far.
South Korea: At least nine South Koreans are missing, according to the country’s foreign ministry.
Italy: At least 90 Italians in the affected area are unaccounted for, the country’s foreign ministry said.
Ukraine: At least 53 Ukrainians are missing, Ukraine’s foreign ministry said, citing Nepali authorities. It added that it received a report saying contact was lost with a group of 46 Ukrainian tourists in the disaster zone.
Belgium: At least three Belgian travelers in Nepal cannot be contacted, the Belgian foreign ministry told CNN. Necessary steps are being taken and the Belgian government is in contact with those close to the missing citizens.
Australia: At least 34 Australians are missing in Nepal, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at a press conference.
CNN’s Victoria Butenko, Hilary Whiteman, Gawon Bae and Barbie Latza Nadeau contributed reporting.
Here's the latest on the deadly flash floods on the Nepal-China border
It is nearly 5:30 a.m. local time Thursday in Nepal, where search efforts are forging ahead after catastrophic flash floods killed at least 157 people and hundreds more are missing, according to authorities.
The toll is expected to rise.
The floods happened on the Nepal-China border. At least three people are dead and more than 250 are unaccounted for in China, state media reported.
It will take weeks to establish the exact causes of the flooding, but a team of international scientists believes a huge chunk of glacier sheared off and fell into the valley below. Officials said thick mud and ongoing rain is complicating rescue efforts.
If you’re just tuning in, here’s the latest news:
- Ground rescue operations in Nepal will continue overnight with 11 teams, and a large number of people will be airlifted on Thursday morning while efforts to rescue those trapped in tunnels will also be taken, the prime minister’s office said on Facebook.
- The number of people missing include more than 340 foreign nationals, according to the Associated Press citing a Nepali official. They include at least 47 Americans and 24 Canadians, officials said.
- Satellite imagery from Planet Labs show rivers in Nepal noticeably swollen with muddy water in the aftermath of the disaster. The torrent of floodwater and debris carried away bridges, homes and roads.
- The flash floods hit a popular route for pilgrims and tourists. Summer often brings hundreds of Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Bonpo pilgrims to the area around Mount Kailash, a Tibetan mountain revered in each religion.
- The disaster will be a test for Nepal’s young rapper-turned-prime minister, Balen Shah, who took office just five months ago following a Gen-Z-led movement against corruption and nepotism that toppled establishment political parties.
- People both inside and outside Nepal are saying they are not able to reach friends and family in the affected areas. One restaurant owner in New York City said he doesn’t know if his friends in the business districts of Syapru Beshy and Timure are alive.
- World leaders have been sending messages of support. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US “stands ready” to send humanitarian assistance to Nepal.
CNN’s Sugam Pokharel, Max Saltman, Laura Paddison, Thomas Bordeaux, Ross Adkin, Hira Humayun, Jeff Winter and Billy Stockwell contributed reporting. The post was updated with more details on the missing.
What we know so far about the cause of the Nepal flood wave
The cause of the powerful torrents of floodwater that carved a devastating path through Nepal and Tibet — swallowing towns, roads and bridges — is not yet clear, but Nepal is a hotspot for climate disasters as the planet heats up.
At 8:37 a.m. local time on Wednesday, shaking in the region was initially reported by US Geological Survey as a 4.4 magnitude earthquake along the Nepal-China border, north of Kathmandu.
Around the same time, an “avalanche” of ice and rock — more like a landslide in this case — tore down a mountainside and into the Lhende Khola River, a tributary of the Bhote Koshi River, which flows from China into Nepal, often through deep gorges.
It will take weeks to establish the exact causes, but a team of international scientists believes a huge chunk of glacier sheared off a mountain and fell into the valley below.
World leaders react following flash floods in Nepal and China
World leaders have been sending messages of support and condolences after catastrophic floods hit Nepal and China.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe is ready to mobilize assistance. “My thoughts are with all those affected, especially the families who have lost loved ones or are still waiting for news,” von der Leyen posted on X. The EU chief said Copernicus, the European Union’s satellite service, has been “activated to help map the affected areas in Nepal and support the response on the ground.”
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed his condolences to Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah, adding that India is ready to provide humanitarian assistance to its neighbor. “Our teams are coordinating closely on rescue and relief efforts,” Modi posted to X.
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney posted on X calling the floods “absolutely devastating.” He called on Canadians in the region to register with the service that allows the Canadian government to send emergency notifications. Carney offerent support as rescue efforts continue.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his country’s officials are working to confirm the welfare of Australians in the area. “We extend our deepest sympathies to those affected by the significant flooding in Nepal and Tibet, China,” he posted to X.
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said his thoughts are with those affected by the floods in Nepal, including British nationals in the area, and their loved ones. He said the UK is ready to help Nepali authorities including with search and rescue efforts.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres extended condolences to the families of the victims and expressed solidarity with those affected. UN teams and humanitarian partners are mobilizing supplies and personnel to support impacted communities, he said.
CNN’s Hilary Whiteman, Max Saltman, Max Foster and Ally Barnard contributed reporting.
New York restaurant owner says he is "totally numb" as he worries about friends in Nepal
Pema D. Gurung doesn’t know if his many friends in Rasuwa, Nepal, are alive or dead after Wednesday’s devastating floods.
He said his friends live in the business districts of Syapru Beshy and Timure, two areas of the district swallowed up by the deluge of water.
Gurung, who hails from a different Himalayan valley in Nepal, said he has been unable to reach them because phone lines, internet and electrical power were wiped out when the floods struck Rasuwa.
His friends in the capital of Katmandu haven’t had any luck contacting their loved ones in the area either, he said.
Flooding struck a popular route for pilgrims and tourists
The flooding that killed at least 150 people along the Chinese-Nepali border on Wednesday hit a popular route for pilgrims and tourists.
Summer often brings hundreds of Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Bonpo pilgrims to the area around Mount Kailash, a Tibetan mountain revered in each religion. Pilgrims often walk around the distinctive, pyramid-shaped mountain on a roughly 30-mile, high-altitude trail. However, no climber has ever officially summited the mountain. The Chinese government has prohibited ascents due to the peak’s religious significance.
Numerous travel and trekking agencies offer packages guiding people between Nepal’s capital Kathmandu and Mount Kailash, though pilgrim access to the site has been disrupted numerous times in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and political disputes between China and India.
The flooding hit an overland route between Kathmandu and Tibet frequented by many of these tour groups. One Indian guru said in a post on social media that 77 pilgrims guided by his organization were at the Chinese-Nepali border when the disaster began and remain unaccounted for.
Sunil Sharma, the spokesperson for Nepal’s Tourism Board, told the Associated Press that at least 133 Indian pilgrims are missing, as well as at least 62 Nepalis traveling in the area for Janai Purnima, a festival due to be celebrated later this week.
Search and rescue efforts in Nepal continue into the night
Search and rescue operations in Nepal will continue into the night, the Prime Minister’s Office said on Facebook.
Ground rescue operations will continue overnight with 11 teams, and a large number of people will be airlifted on Thursday morning while efforts to rescue those trapped in tunnels will also be taken, the office added.
The latest on a rising death toll and search efforts after the devastating flash flooding
At least 157 people have died in devastating flash floods in Nepal, the country’s police in a post on X, while hundreds more are missing as a frantic search and rescue effort is underway.
In China, three people have been killed and more than 250 are missing, state media reported.
The death toll is expected to rise.
The impacted region is on a popular route to Kailash Mansarovar, a site visited annually by hundreds of Hindu pilgrims, particularly at this time of year.
Videos have shown the destruction unleashed by the powerful floodwaters that swept off the mountains. A major land border crossing between China and Nepal was completely overwhelmed in less than a minute, with a mudslide appearing to wipe out everything in its path, engulfing those trying to flee.
Devastation and human toll:
- The toll of the missing include 341 foreign nationals, according to the Associated Press citing a Nepali official.
- They include at least 47 people from the US, the AP reported, citing Nepal tourism board spokesperson Sunil Sharma. The US State Department did not provide details on the number or condition of US citizens impacted, but said it is “closely tracking the situation.”
- The missing also include at least 28 Nepali police officials, according to a senior police official source who spoke to CNN.
- A prominent Indian guru says that at least 77 people in a pilgrimage group led by his organization are missing after being caught in a flash flood at a Chinese border port.
- It will take weeks to establish the exact causes of the flooding, but a team of international scientists believes a huge chunk of glacier sheared off and fell into the valley below.
Rescue efforts:
- Chinese responders are working to clear roads in Tibet’s hard-hit Gyirong county to get rescue operations underway, a local military official told Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. Efforts are being complicated by ongoing rain and thick layers of mud.
- China has mobilized multiple agencies to respond to the disaster in Tibet and allocated roughly $17 million in natural disaster relief funds for immediate rescue and relief efforts.
- In Nepal, rescue helicopters are struggling to land in the affected areas because the floodwaters are so high, authorities said, according to Reuters. However, the Nepali army posted videos of helicopters hovering just above the floodwater and buildings, so that people could clamber to safety.
Incoming aid:
- India is sending 10 metric tons of humanitarian aid and “essential medicines” to Nepal, the country’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said in a post on X.
- The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it is sending $1.2 million in emergency funding to the Nepal Red Cross.
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe is ready to mobilize assistance. Copernicus, the European Union’s satellite service, has already been activated, she said.
CNN’s Simone McCarthy, Sugam Pokharel, Gawon Bae, Max Saltman, Billy Stockwell, Jennifer Hansler, Hira Humayun and Laura Paddison contributed reporting.
Devastating floods pose early test for Nepal’s young rapper-turned-leader
The devastating flash flooding to hit Nepal will be a test for the country’s young rapper-turned-prime minister who took office just five months ago following a Gen-Z led movement against corruption and nepotism that swept away establishment political parties.
Balen Shah, 36, was sworn in in March on a promise to clean up national politics and address widespread grievances at the lack of opportunities for young people in Nepal, which relies on remittances sent home by migrant workers for around a quarter of its GDP.
In a statement on Facebook posted Wednesday, Shah said “sudden flooding in Rasuwa’s Bhote Koshi river” had caused “massive human and physical damage.”
“This unexpected thunder of natural disaster has pushed many of our brothers, sisters and young children in deep pain,” he said in the post.
Sending his condolences to those affected, he added: “In this unbearable pain, the whole Nepal government and the entire countrymen are with you. Wishing a speedy recovery to all the citizens who are injured by the flood and undergoing treatment at the hospital.”
Shah will now likely have to work with Nepal’s giant southern neighbor India, as well as China, its neighbor to the north and which has also been badly hit by the floods.
That will require a deft touch. Shah has previously made headlines for his fiercely nationalist and provocative posture towards both countries.
During his time as Kathmandu mayor in 2023, Shah canceled a scheduled trip to China after Beijing released a new standard map that did not acknowledge Nepal’s updated 2020 political map, which included some disputed Himalayan territories, local media reported.
CNN’s Rhea Mogul contributed reporting
This post has been updated to include comments by Nepali leader Balen Shah
Satellite imagery shows aftermath of flooding in Nepal
Satellite imagery from Planet Labs show how flooding in Nepal quickly changed the landscape in affected areas.
The rivers in the images below are noticeably swollen with muddy water in the aftermath of the disaster.
The torrent of floodwater and debris carried away bridges, homes and roads – destruction visible between one image and the next.
A team of international scientists has theorized that the cause of the flooding may have been a large chunk of ice shearing off of a glacier. They believe a landslide occurred in tandem, and the resulting mix of ice, rock and mud swept down the mountainside, picking up waterlogged sediment along the way.
CNN meteorologist breaks down how deadly Nepal-China flood unfolded
CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam looks at how a landslide may have triggered deadly floods that slammed the border of China and Nepal early Wednesday.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports that a glacier collapse, not an earthquake, likely caused the devastating flooding.
Scientist: Glacier shearing off could have been trigger of Nepal flood wave
It will take weeks to establish the exact causes of the flooding, but a team of international scientists believes a huge chunk of glacier sheared off and fell into the valley below.
“What is hard to reconcile is the gargantuan volumes of water that we see in these, these absolutely horrific videos,” said Daniel Shugar, a geologist at the University of California, who’s part of the group.
Their theory is that a landslide happened at the same time as the glacier broke, creating a rapidly moving mix of ice and rock, which cascaded down the mountain. As it tumbled down, it also picked up sediment that was already water-logged because it’s monsoon season, which contributed to the massive wall of water.
Death toll in Nepal rises to 157 people, police say
At least 157 people have died in the flash floods that hit Nepal, according to the country’s police in a post on X. At least 41 people have been hospitalized.
Hundreds more are unaccounted for as search and rescue efforts continue.
Chinese state media earlier reported that at least three people are dead and more than 250 are missing. Emergency responders told state media that they are using excavators to clear a path through thick layers of mud and debris in heavily-affected Gyirong county in China’s Tibet Autonomous Region.
Video shows flooding overwhelming the Gyirong border crossing between China and Nepal. The crossing is popular with religious pilgrims heading to and from Mount Kailash.
Prominent Indian guru says dozens of pilgrims were caught in flooding
A prominent Indian guru says that at least 77 people in a pilgrimage group led by his organization are missing after being caught in a destructive flash flood at a Chinese border port.
Jagadish Vasudev, who goes by the spiritual name Sadhguru, said in a post on X that a group of 77 pilgrims coming back from Mount Kailash in Tibet were at a border station in Gyirong, China when the flood swept through.
Mount Kailash is revered in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Bon, a Tibetan religion, and Sadhguru’s Isha Foundation advertises numerous Kailash trips per year.
Video from the Gyirong border port, a major land border crossing between China and Nepal, showed people fleeing before a wall of muddy water rushes over the entire building.
The landslide caused the shaking in Nepal, not an earthquake, according to USGS
At 8:37 a.m. local time, shaking in the region was initially reported by US Geological Survey as a 4.4 magnitude earthquake along the Nepal-China border, north of Kathmandu.
Around the same time, an “avalanche” of ice and rock — more like a landslide in this case — tore down a mountainside and into the Lhende Khola River, a tributary of the Bhote Koshi River, which flows from China into Nepal, often through deep gorges.
USGS later clarified that the shaking was not an earthquake, but rather caused by this exceptionally powerful landslide itself, which registered as the equivalent of a magnitude 5.2 earthquake.
US State Department "aware of Americans impacted" by floods in Nepal, spokesperson says
The US State Department “is aware of Americans impacted by the floods in Nepal and is closely tracking the situation,” a spokesperson said on Wednesday.
The spokesperson did not provide details on the number or condition of US citizens impacted by the devastating floods.
“Department of State staff in Washington, DC, and Kathmandu are monitoring the situation and are in touch with the Government of Nepal,” they said. “The United States stands ready to provide assistance.”
On the ground, the US embassy “is working closely with local tour agencies and local authorities to assist Americans in the affected areas,” the spokesperson said.
They encouraged US citizens there “to monitor local news, follow the emergency instructions provided by local authorities” and enroll in the State Department’s traveler program “to receive important emergency information.”
Citizens who need urgent assistance are instructed to call the US embassy at +977-1-423-4000. For local search-and-rescue assistance, call Nepal’s disaster hotline at 1234, they said.
India and Red Cross send aid to Nepal in flash-flooding aftermath
India is sending 10 metric tons of humanitarian aid and “essential medicines” to Nepal in the aftermath of Wednesday’s devastating flash floods, India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said in a post on X.
“Our thoughts are with the bereaved families and all those affected,” Jaishankar wrote. “In face of this challenge, India stands with Nepal and its people.”
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) also said it is sending $1.2 million in emergency funding to the Nepal Red Cross in response to the flooding.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) in Nepal said it had dispatched emergency medical supplies to affected communities, including medicines and tents.
“My greatest respect and gratitude for the selfless first responders doing the search and rescue and providing care during this difficult time,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted on X.
CNN’s Billy Stockwell contributed reporting.
At least nine South Koreans missing after flooding, foreign ministry says
At least nine South Koreans are missing after catastrophic flooding along the China-Nepal border, according to South Korea’s Foreign Ministry.
All nine are employees of two South Korean energy companies participating in the construction of a hydroelectric power plant along Nepal’s Trishuli River, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry added that the South Korean government is sending a joint response team to Nepal on Thursday to take care of Korean nationals there.
The heavily-affected Rasuwa municipality in Nepal hosts numerous hydropower projects on the Trishuli River. Earlier, Nepali state media reported that 60 employees of a different hydropower installation were missing after the flooding caused “severe damage” to their construction site.
Chinese responders work to open roads to aid rescue efforts
Chinese responders are still working to clear roads in Tibet’s hard-hit Gyirong county to get rescue operations underway, with efforts complicated by ongoing rain, a local military official told Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
“Right now, the various loaders and excavators are being used to clear a path,” Chen Xi, of the Gyirong Border Defense Company of Tibet’s Shigatse Military sub-command, told CCTV Wednesday evening. Chen noted some units were standing by at a command center due to the risk of landslides.
“The mountain slopes around us could collapse at any time, because the road runs along steep cliffs, and … there may also be a risk of another mudslide,” Chen said.
Rescue teams are dealing with a thick layer of mud from the debris flow that swept through the area earlier. An eyewitness cited by CCTV described mud that was more than 1.5 meters thick (roughly five feet) in places.
Teams are trying to get to Gyirong border port, which video show was engulfed by an explosive mudslide this morning. Chen told CCTV that, thus far, attempts to get in touch with people inside the port had been unsuccessful.
A rescue team reached one of the townships within Gyirong county at 5pm this evening and were working to access other areas. Gyirong county has a permanent population of less than 20,000 residents, but that figure may not take into account construction personnel or other migrant workers.
Chinese authorities on Wednesday evening announced three deaths and more than 200 people missing.
As of 8 pm Wednesday evening, authorities had dispatched some 600 firefighters, with search and rescue dogs, life detectors, inflatable boats and other rescue equipment for rescue and disposal, state media said.
China has allocated roughly $17 million in natural disaster relief funds for immediate rescue and relief efforts.
