BEIJING/UDIN DHUNGA, Nepal/SYDNEY: The number of people missing after a devastating mudslide and flash flood disaster in Tibet’s Gyirong county has risen to 558, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported Thursday, as the death toll on the Nepal side of the border reached at least 157.
CCTV said 260 foreign nationals were among those missing in Gyirong, near the Nepal border. The confirmed death toll in the Chinese territory remained at three.
The disaster struck Wednesday after what experts said was a glacial collapse in the warming Himalayan region, unleashing massive floods and torrents of mud and debris through communities and key travel corridors on both sides of the border.
In Nepal, police reported at least 157 deaths, bringing the combined confirmed death toll to at least 160, while hundreds more remained unaccounted for.
Rescuers use an excavator to transport a flood survivor, following flash floods and a landslide disaster in Devghat, in the Nepal's Nuwakot district on August 26, 2026. (Photo by Prakash Mathema / AFP)
The number of missing people varied as authorities and tour operators worked to establish contact with those caught in the disaster zone.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at least 34 Australians were missing, while Foreign Minister Penny Wong said information on their whereabouts remained “very limited.”
“At this point Nepal is a developing country, it doesn’t have the resources that an event like that would have in Australia, so information is difficult,” Albanese said, adding that Australia’s thoughts were with families concerned about loved ones.
A hiking company said a group of 47 people, including two children, was also missing in Nepal. Himalayan Glacier said the group included 15 Australians, 10 Canadians, nine Nepalis, eight Americans, two Britons, two Singaporeans and one Russian-American dual citizen.
Nepalese officials earlier said hundreds of tourists, pilgrims, workers and local residents were missing after the sudden flooding swept through the mountainous border region.
Residents look at houses partially submerged in muddy water after flash floods at Trishuli Bazar in Nepal's Nuwakot district on August 26, 2026. (AFP)
Many of those unaccounted for had been traveling to or from Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred site for Hindus, or trekking in Nepal’s hard-hit Rasuwa district during the Janai Purnima festival.
The flooding destroyed villages, bridges, roads and hydropower projects, with authorities warning residents to stay away from several swollen rivers.
Drone footage from the affected region showed roads washed away and buildings buried beneath torrents of mud. In Nepal, images showed upper floors of buildings coated in debris, vehicles submerged and survivors covered in mud.
The US Geological Survey initially reported an earthquake near the border but later revised its assessment, saying the seismic signal had instead been caused by a magnitude 5.2 glacial collapse. Satellite imagery and seismic data indicated no earthquake had occurred.
Climate experts said an avalanche of ice and rock from a glacier had likely blocked a river before releasing a powerful surge downstream. The same region experienced deadly flooding last year, underscoring growing concerns about the vulnerability of Himalayan communities to melting glaciers and extreme weather linked to climate change.
Nepal has appealed to India and China for help with rescue efforts, while UN agencies and several foreign governments have expressed solidarity and offered assistance as the scale of the humanitarian disaster becomes clearer.
• With AFP and AP
