Nepal flash flood: China halts rescue operation in Tibet as death toll climbs to 469
Earthmovers clear the debris from flash flooding in Nepal's Nuwakot district, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
China has paused a rescue operation due to the high risk of renewed flooding in Tibet, where hundreds remain missing after the deadly mudslide in the border region.
The overall death toll in Nepal has risen to 469 people, with more than 1,300 missing, and China has paused rescue work at the epicentre of the Tibet flooding amid fears that an artificial lake formed at the site was at risk of bursting.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that a lake formed by immense piles of debris had begun overflowing towards the area that rescue teams were headed.
“So all rescue teams have been ordered to stand by in place and wait for further instructions,” it said on Friday, cited by AFP.
CCTV added that emergency teams which had earlier accessed the area “have been ordered to withdraw one kilometre”.
The international community, meanwhile, is scrambling to get aid into flood-stricken parts of Nepal and Tibet, but search and rescue efforts are being complicated by the destruction.
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The Red Cross said about 93,000 people might have been affected and launched an emergency appeal for $31m for disaster relief.
Additionally, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said he ordered the release of $2m from the UN’s central emergency response fund to help with medical care, shelter and water.
On Thursday, Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said 517 foreign nationals were out of contact.
Officials have warned of a possible further flooding risk from a lake of rising water at the flood site along the China-Nepal border.
China has warned that a barrier lake formed at the confluence of the Tsogyal and Purupqiangzangbu rivers is overflowing and could burst.
NDRRMA said satellite information from China suggested the river was “blocked” and a lake had formed near the site of the floods.
China’s Ministry of Water Resources said the lake was expected to receive another three million cubic metres over the next three days.
The Nepal Army said it had sent a team to the border to inspect the Bhotekoshi River.
Flash floods on Wednesday caused rivers to burst their banks and covered populated areas in thick mud, burying houses and creating difficult conditions for rescuers.
Videos posted on social media appeared to show huge floodwaters surging through valleys as people screamed in terror, with bridges being washed away. Other videos showed people desperately fleeing uphill to escape the surging muddy floodwaters.
Nepalese officials said bridges have been destroyed and nearly 25 miles of roads have been damaged, which has complicated search efforts.
China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency said 558 people remained unaccounted for in neighbouring Tibet.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said a magnitude 5.2 seismic event occurred near the border between Nepal and China on Wednesday at 8.37 am local time.
It added that a “glacial collapse and debris flow” caused “subsequent catastrophic impacts downstream”.
Sunil Sharma, a tourism board spokesman, said 133 of those missing were from India on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash.
Also among the missing were 47 people from the US, 34 from Australia and 24 from Canada, he added.
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