NPR Updates Death Toll in Nepal Flash Floods to 98

NPR updated its article on the Nepal flash floods from '8 dead, hundreds missing' to 'at least 98 killed and hundreds missing'. The revised article now reports a significantly higher death toll, with 95 dead in Nepal and at least three in China's Tibet region. The change reflects a more accurate assessment of the disaster's impact. This update matters to readers because it provides a more comprehensive understanding of the scale of the disaster and its consequences, allowing them to better comprehend the severity of the situation.

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8 dead, hundreds missing as Nepal avalanche triggers flash floods +939 -627
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− Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Embedded Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics 8 dead, hundreds missing as Nepal avalanche triggers flash floods The disaster is linked to climate change, with experts noting the region's vulnerability to extreme weather.
+ Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Embedded Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics At least 98 killed and hundreds missing after flash floods in Nepal and China The disaster is linked to climate change, with experts noting the region's vulnerability to extreme weather.
− Asia 8 dead, hundreds missing as Nepal avalanche triggers flash floods August 26, 20268:27 AM ET By The Associated Press Damaged houses stand precariously near the swollen, debris-choked banks of the Trishuli River after flash floods in Nepal's Nuwakot district on Wednesday, Aug.
+ Asia At least 98 killed and hundreds missing after flash floods in Nepal and China Updated August 26, 20261:44 PM ET Originally published August 26, 20268:27 AM ET By The Associated Press Rescuers use an earthmover to carry a victim of flash flooding to safety along the Trishuli River in Nepal's Nuwakot district, Wednesday, Aug.
26, 2026.
− Niranjan Shrestha/AP hide caption UDIN DHUNGA, Nepal — An avalanche of ice and rock triggered massive flash floods in Nepal on Wednesday, killing at least eight people and leaving hundreds missing while causing widespread damage to villages and infrastructure.
+ Niranjan Shrestha/AP hide caption UDIN DHUNGA, Nepal — Massive flash floods in a border area of Nepal and China on Wednesday killed at least 98 people and left hundreds of tourists, workers and others missing after sweeping through communities and bringing travel in some areas to a halt.
− Officials said 384 tourists, including 291 from countries such as India, the United States, the United Kingdom and Malaysia, were reported missing.
+ The prime minister's office in Nepal reported at least 95 dead. China's state broadcaster CCTV said a mudslide in the Tibet region's Gyirong County near the border killed at least three and left 265 missing. Drone footage showed roads destroyed and buildings buried. State news agency Xinhua reported significant casualties.
− The Bhotekoshi River flooded around 9 a.m.
+ Nepal's steep valleys are economic lifelines and travel corridors but precarious ones when disaster strikes.
− local time Wednesday, destroying several villages, roads and hydropower projects, officials said.
+ Images showed what appeared to be the second floors of buildings in hard-hit Nuwakot district slathered in mud after the torrent rushed by. Debris hung from tree branches and wires, vehicles were buried and stunned survivors were caked in mud.
− "We have asked both India and China to help us with the rescue efforts," said Sasmit Pokharel, a spokesperson for the Nepali government.
+ Officials in Nepal said 403 people, including 341 foreign nationals, were reported missing. Sunil Sharma, a tourism board spokesperson, said 133 were from India on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred site for Hindus. Also missing were 47 from the United States, 34 from Australia, 33 from Britain and 24 from Canada, he said.
− Dozens of multi-storied buildings, trucks, and vans were buried under vast quantities of mud in the district of Nuwakot, one of the worst-affected areas.
+ At least 62 missing Nepali citizens were among hundreds of locals trekking in the Gosaikunda Lake area in Rasuwa, coinciding with the local festival of Janai Purnima on Friday, Sharma added.
− Officials warned residents in several of Nepal's districts and asked them to stay away from the banks of the Bhotekoshi, Trishuli, and Narayani rivers.
+ Nepal police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle told The Associated Press at least 28 police officials were missing.
− Nepal tourism board officials said most of the missing were likely tourists from India and the Indian diaspora on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred site for Hindus.
+ Officials warned residents in several districts to stay away from the banks of the Bhotekoshi, Trishuli and Narayani rivers. The Bhotekoshi flooded around 9 a.m. Wednesday, destroying several villages, roads and hydropower projects, officials said.
− South Korean government officials said their citizens working on building a hydropower plant in Nepal were among those reported missing.
+ People take photographs and videos of the swollen, debris-choked banks of the Trishuli River after a flash floods in Nepal's Nuwakot district on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. Niranjan Shrestha/AP hide caption "We have asked both India and China to help us with the rescue efforts," said government spokesperson Sasmit Pokharel.
− Malaysia's Foreign Ministry also said its embassy in Kathmandu has received reports from travel agencies that they had lost contact with 11 Malaysians believed to be in the Rasuwa district, which was hit hard by the floods.
+ The U.S. Geological Survey had reported a magnitude 4.4 earthquake early Wednesday, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Kathmandu, near the border with China's autonomous region of Tibet.
− The same regions affected by Wednesday's disaster saw flash floods similar to those in August last year, when a glacial lake in neighboring Tibet overflowed because of high temperatures in the mountain region.
+ Though the current monsoon season is less favorable for trekking in Nepal, it's a major season for Kailash trekking in Tibet, which follows the route in Nepal's Rasuwa district bordering Tibet's Gyirong. South Korean government officials said nine citizens working on building a hydropower plant in Nepal were among those reported missing.
− Nine people were killed, and critical infrastructure, including a bridge connecting Nepal and China, was damaged at the time.
+ Malaysia's foreign ministry said its embassy received reports from travel agencies that they had lost contact with 11 Malaysians believed to be in Rasuwa district. Russia'a embassy in Nepal said four citizens reportedly in the affected area were missing.
− People take photographs and videos of the swollen, debris-choked banks of the Trishuli River after a flash floods in Nepal's Nuwakot district on Wednesday, Aug.
+ Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah and offered help.
− 26, 2026.
+ "India is prepared to provide Nepal with all possible types of humanitarian assistance.
− Niranjan Shrestha/AP hide caption Climate experts at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development say an avalanche from a glacier likely caused Wednesday's flash flood.
+ Our teams are closely coordinating on rescue and relief efforts," Modi said on social media.
− The Lhende Khola River, a tributary of the Bhotekoshi River, witnessed maximum flooding Wednesday, they said.
+ In a joint statement, Australia, Britain, the European Union, Finland, France, Norway and Switzerland expressed solidarity with people in Nepal, adding: "We encourage all those in affected areas to follow the guidance of local authorities and official safety advisories as the situation continues to evolve." The same region saw flash floods last year Climate experts at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development said an avalanche from a glacier likely caused Wednesday's flash flood.
− "The Lhende Khola has flooded twice in fourteen months, this time triggered by an ice rock avalanche from a glacier on the Nepal side that blocked the river and released a sudden surge downstream," said Saswata Sanyal, a disaster risk reduction specialist at the climate research group.
+ "Hydrological observations indicate the exceptional speed and magnitude of the flood wave," they said in an emailed statement, noting that water levels at one point on the Trishuli river rose by as much as nine meters (27 feet) over half an hour.
− "In a warming Himalaya, early warning is the first line of adaptation," he added.
+ The Lhende Khola River, a tributary of the Bhotekoshi, had maximum flooding, they said.
− The Himalayan region, which spans Nepal and several nearby countries, including India, is especially vulnerable to heavy rains, floods and landslides because it is warming faster than the rest of the world due to human-caused climate change.
+ "The Lhende Khola has flooded twice in 14 months, this time triggered by an ice rock avalanche from a glacier on the Nepal side that blocked the river and released a sudden surge downstream," said Saswata Sanyal, a disaster risk reduction specialist at the climate research group. He noted the importance of early warnings in "a warming Himalaya." The region saw similar flash floods in August last year, when a glacial lake in Tibet overflowed because of high temperatures.
− Research shows that extreme weather events, including heat waves and rains, and melting glaciers, have become more frequent in the region.
+ Nine people were killed, and critical infrastructure, including a bridge connecting Nepal and China, was damaged.
− Researchers in Kathmandu found earlier this year that glaciers across the Hindu Kush Himalaya region are melting at an accelerating rate, with ice loss rates doubling since 2000 primarily due to rising global temperatures and climate change.
+ The Himalayan region, which spans several countries including India, is especially vulnerable to heavy rains, floods and landslides because of warming due to human-caused climate change. Research shows that extreme weather events, including heat waves, rains and melting glaciers, have become more frequent.
+ Researchers in Kathmandu found earlier this year that glaciers across the Hindu Kush Himalaya region are melting at an accelerating rate, with ice loss rates doubling since 2000, primarily due to rising global temperatures and climate change.
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