Houses lie partially submerged in muddy water along a riverside after flash floods at Trishuli Bazar in Nepal’s Nuwakot district on August 26, 2026. A massive flood swept through Nepal’s northern Rasuwa district on August 26, damaging roads and power infrastructure as authorities scrambled to assess the scale of the destruction.Prabin Ranabhat/AFP via Getty Images
Serious flash flooding in Nepal on Wednesday morning has left almost a hundred reported dead and hundreds more missing, including at least 47 American tourists, according to Nepali officials.
The flooding occurred in the northern Rasuwa district, along the border with Tibet, at around 8:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday, authorities said.
Nepali police said they have so far recovered 95 bodies on the Nepali side of the floods as of 7:30 p.m. local time, while Chinese state-run media reported three dead in its territory, bringing the total to 98 killed so far by the flooding.
At least 403 foreign nationals and 93 Nepali tourists are reported missing, according to the Prime Minister’s Office of Nepal. Chinese media reported 265 missing.
Three of the missing Americans were listed as traveling with a Nepali company called Fishtail Tours and Travel. The agency confirmed to ABC News that three American nationals are among the missing tourists traveling with them.
This frame grab from a UGC footage courtesy of Nepal Police shows floodwaters crashing through the Bhotekoshi River after flash floods in Rasuwa district on Aug. 26, 2026.-ugc/Nepal Police/AFP via Getty Image
Efforts to locate and rescue the missing tourists are ongoing, the company said, without providing any further information on their possible whereabouts or well-being.
The Nepal Tourism Board said that local tourism and law enforcement authorities were “working to verify the whereabouts and safety status of tourists and travelers who were in or traveling through the affected areas.”
Nepali authorities have mobilized 656 police personnel to respond as of 7:30 p.m. local time, according to police.
A 5.2-magnitude landslide also impacted Nepal on Wednesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The seismic activity from the landslide was initially erroneously reported as a 4.4-magnitude earthquake, the agency said. It is unclear what triggered the landslide.
The U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu said in posts to X that it was “deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life and devastation” caused by the flooding. “We are closely tracking developments and remain in close contact with Nepali authorities,” the embassy said.
The mission also urged Americans to avoid the affected areas and said it was working “to account for U.S. citizens who may have been affected.”
Also among the foreign nationals listed as missing in the Tourism Board’s preliminary count were Indian, Malaysian, British, South African, Dutch and Australian tourists.
“The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers expresses deep sorrow over the loss of life in various places of Rasuwa and Nuwakot,” Nepal’s Prime Minister’s Office stated on social media. “Offering heartfelt tribute to all those who lost their lives in this natural disaster, it extends its sincere condolences to the bereaved families and relatives.”
Rescue operations for flood-affected people were ongoing via air transport as of Wednesday, the Nepali Army said in a post to X on Wednesday. The army urged people to stay vigilant and remain in safe places.
The flood reportedly inflicted casualties on the Chinese side of the border, at the Gyirong border crossing, according to the Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency.
The agency reported that President Xi Jinping ordered search and rescue efforts for those reported missing.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
SOURCE: abcnews.com