What happened
A catastrophic flash flood and mudslide disaster along the Nepal-China border has left over 1,000 people dead and thousands more missing. The disaster struck on the morning of August 26, 2026, destroying entire mountain villages, washing away critical highway bridges, and trapping hundreds of local residents and international tourists.
At approximately 8:37 AM local time on August 26, high in the Himalayas near Langtang Lirung peak, a massive section of mountain bedrock failed, taking a large portion of an overlying glacier down with it.
The debris surge choked the Lhende Khola and Bhotekoshi rivers, swelling water levels on the downstream Trishuli River by as much as 9 meters (30 feet) in under 30 minutes.
Many people were caught off guard by the rapid mudslide and surging waters. Some managed to run to higher ground, but many were simply buried underneath. Houses and buildings were swept away, filling with mud and debris, burying whatever and whoever was inside in an instant.
Story from our partners
‘My heart ached as I spoke with Dil’ says Melsan, a UMN staff currently in Rasuwa. “We sat in the wreckage beside his house and he shared his story. Just as we were speaking a helicopter took off from the site, carrying human remains.”
Dil,70, was working in the fields when the flood hit. His wife was at home. As the flood started getting into the village and into the houses, he started running as fast as he could to safe grounds. He survived, but where is his wife?
6 days after the disaster, half of his house lies beneath the sand and mud. He looks at his house, searching for answers that may never come. I don’t know if she tried to run away from the house or if she was trapped inside. His heart tells him that her body is still inside the house and hopes to find it. But how? The damaged house stands deeply buried under the mud and ruins.
For now, Dil can only sit and wait and hold on to the hope of finding her body one day.
Our response
The Flood Response project will provide immediate humanitarian relief to 1,000 flood-affected and vulnerable households impacted by the catastrophic flooding along the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli River Corridor in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading districts of Nepal.
The response will focus on delivering emergency food assistance and essential non-food relief items to households that have lost homes, food stocks, livelihoods, livestock, and household assets as a result of the disaster.
Special priority will be given to vulnerable groups, including female-headed households, children, elderly people, persons with disabilities, pregnant and lactating women, and socially marginalised communities.
If you would like to give funds to support these efforts, you can do so via the button below.
