Nepal flash flood kills eight; damaging roads, power projects

World deathfloodsTop News Nepal flash flood kills eight; damaging roads, power projects Screenshot 2026 08 26 113148 Relevant News Nepal flash flood kills eight; damaging roads, power projects 26 August 2026 Girl, 12, remains critical after CTO beach drowning that killed her mother 26 August 2026 Iran and Oman discuss temporary Hormuz corridor as impasse with US drags on 26 August 2026 newsroom 26 August 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Nepal sent helicopters to the rescue on Wednesday after a massive flash flood swept away villages in the Himalayan nation, killing eight and damaging roads, bridges and power projects in areas near Tibet, authorities said. Across the border, Tibet reported “major casualties” with some missing in the neighbouring county of Gyirong after a mudslide hit a land crossing between China and Nepal, the Xinhua official news agency said. The waters were too high for helicopters to land in Nepal’s affected areas of Syapru Besi and Timure in the mountainous district of Rasuwa, with a population of about 50,000, officials said, while flagging the risk of casualties. “There could be heavy casualties or loss of property,” district administrator Narendra Pariyar told Reuters. “But I cannot say for sure now.” Pariyar urged those living on the banks of the Bhote Koshi river in the area to seek higher ground, pointing to reports that nearby villages and infrastructure project sites were washed away. “It all came suddenly,” the Onlinekhabar portal quoted a witness from the area as saying. “We heard a loud sound, like a volcano erupting. People started to scream and ran away.” Nepal’s rescue helicopters would be unable to land in the affected areas until the waters recede, however, army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet said. The cause of the inundation was not immediately clear, but a deadly flash flood on the same river last year was eventually traced to the draining of a glacier lake. CHINA SAYS GYIRONG PORT AFFECTED The mudslide on the Nepali side hit China’s Gyirong port, Xinhua added, cutting off roads, communications and power in the Shigatse region near the border with Nepal, it added, without giving details. President Xi Jinping urged “all-out” search efforts for the missing as well as stronger monitoring and early warning systems to prevent secondary disasters. Nepal’s energy ministry said 430 MW of electricity supplies were affected, mostly from hydroelectric projects, or more than 12% of total national hydropower capacity of 3.2 GW, a Reuters calculation showed. Prime Minister Balendra Shah said police and military were joining rescue and relief teams. “Instructions have been given … to move the people living in the lower areas to safer places,” he said. “People along the river are advised to exercise extra caution and remain alert.” From its origins in Tibet, the Bhote Koshi river empties into Nepal’s Trishuli river that eventually flows into India as the Gandak river. Last year’s Bhote Koshi flood killed nine people, with 24 missing, as it washed away a ‘Friendship Bridge’ linking Nepal and China to disrupt trade and transport for months. That flood was triggered by the draining of a supraglacial lake in Tibet, a regional climate monitor said. (Reuters) (Featured image is a screengrab from X) Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Girl, 12, remains critical after CTO beach drowning that killed her mother Iran and Oman discuss temporary Hormuz corridor as impasse with US drags on At least 14 infants killed in Islamabad hospital fire 2026 World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing On this day: American women won the right to vote in 1920 Cyprus payment fraud incidents fall, but losses jump 16% Just 24.6% of Cyprus taxpayers have filed 2025 returns so far Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.