Hundreds have died in flooding and landslides on the border of Nepal and Tibet following a glacial collapse and debris flow, according to multiple sources including Nepalese authorities and international experts.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) clarified on Thursday, August 27th, 2026, that additional analysis of seismic stations, long period seismic waves, and satellite imagery confirmed no earthquake had occurred. Instead, the event was caused by a glacial collapse and debris flow.

Earlier, Nepali authorities told the BBC that a massive chunk of ice may have collapsed from a mountain, pulling down rocks and sediments. Simon Cook, a senior lecturer at the University of Dundee specializing in glaciology, said his team detected the collapse of the lower part of a glacier near Langtang Lirung peak, approximately 15 km west of the flood site. Mike Searle, professor of Earth sciences at Oxford University, suggested the glacier collapse could have happened "hours or days" before the flooding hit Nepal and Tibet.

Climate change is believed to be accelerating glacier melt in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region, contributing to such disasters. Cook noted that warming and thawing permafrost, which partially holds mountainsides together, is degrading, increasing the risk of landslides.

Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority reported that 826 people remain missing, including over 529 tourists, with 466 foreigners among them. The Nepal Tourism Board stated that 644 tourists are still missing, including 33 UK nationals. Meanwhile, China's state broadcaster CCTV reported 558 people missing in Tibet's Gyirong county, including 260 foreign nationals, with the death toll at three.

The disaster has left the entire nation shocked and deeply distressed. Rescue efforts continue amid calls for stronger monitoring and early warning systems to prevent secondary impacts.

Sources