Nepal battles aftermath of deadly floods

Devastating floods on the Nepal-Tibet border region this week have left nearly 550 dead and more than 1,400 others missing, including hundreds of foreigners. The US Geological Survey said the disaster -- the deadliest for Nepal since a 2015 earthquake -- was caused by a glacial collapse that triggered a vast flow of icy debris.

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An elderly survivor is transported to a safer place in heavy machinery following flash flood and mudslide at Trishuli in Nuwakot district, Nepal, 26 August 2026.
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People work to clear the debris around their houses following flash floods and a mudslide in Trishuli, Nuwakot district, Nepal, 28 August 2026.
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People stand next to their damaged properties following flash floods and a mudslide in Trishuli, Nuwakot district, Nepal, 28 August 2026.
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Firefighters assemble near a drone during rescue operations after a mudslide, in Gyirong county, Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region, China, 28 August 2026.
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People look at pictures of missing people following flash floods and a mudslide, at the Trauma Center in Kathmandu, Nepal, 28 August 2026.
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Rescuers helps a woman to get into her damaged house to salvage her belongings following flash floods and a mudslide in Trishuli, Nuwakot district, Nepal, 28 August 2026.
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A rescuer helps a woman to move through a muddy road following flash floods and a mudslide in Trishuli, Nuwakot district, Nepal, 28 August 2026.
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A damaged mud covered window of a house following flash floods and a mudslide in Trishuli, Nuwakot district, Nepal, 28 August 2026.
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A woman searches for her belongings at a damaged shop following flash floods and a mudslide in Trishuli, Nuwakot district, Nepal, 28 August 2026.
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A debris-covered building following flash floods and a mudslide in Trishuli, Nuwakot district, Nepal, 28 August 2026.
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A portion of a submerged house following flash floods and a mudslide in Trishuli, Nuwakot district, Nepal, 28 August 2026.
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People move through a mud covered road following flash floods and a mudslide in Trishuli, Nuwakot district, Nepal, 28 August 2026.
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A woman salvages a piggy bank in her damaged house following flash floods and a mudslide in Trishuli, Nuwakot district, Nepal, 28 August 2026.
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A satellite image shows the site at the border of Nepal and Tibet Autonomous Region, China, before a barrier lake formed as a result of flash floods and a mudslide, 24 August 2026. VERIFICATION: Reuters was able to identify the barrier lake's location based on information released by Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) and Chinese state media outlet CCTV. The area that both countries showed were from the vicinity of coordinates 28.333525, 85.479764, which falls between the border of Nepal and Tibet autonomous region, China. Satellite images reviewed by Reuters from August 24 to August 27 showed an apparent increase in water accumulation in the area, forming what officials from both Chinese and Nepali governments say is a barrier lake.
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People sit on a hill after reaching high ground following a warning that a lake has broken its banks, two days after flash floods and a mudslide in Trishuli, Nuwakot district, Nepal, 28 August 2026.
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An injured man evacuated from Nuwakot is transferred at the Trauma center, following flash floods and a mudslide in Kathmandu, Nepal, 28 August 2026.
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Rescuers evacuate people from a tunnel of a hydropower project, in the aftermath of flash floods and a mudslide, in Rasuwa, Nepal, in this still image from handout video released on 28 August 2026.
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Rescuers evacuate a person from a tunnel of a hydropower project, in the aftermath of flash floods and a mudslide, in Rasuwa, Nepal, in this still image from handout video released on 28 August 2026.
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People arrive to identify victims of deadly flash floods and a mudslide at a mortuary at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, 28 August 2026.
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Stranded supply trucks wait at the Kalanki checkpoint for road clearance, following deadly flash floods and a mudslide in Nepal, in Kathmandu, Nepal, 28 August 2026.
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A deserted residential area after people left for high ground following a warning that a lake has broken its banks, two days after flash floods and a mudslide, in Trishuli, Nuwakot district, Nepal, 28 August 2026.
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Stranded supply trucks wait at the Kalanki checkpoint for road clearance, following deadly flash floods and a mudslide in Nepal, in Kathmandu, Nepal, 28 August 2026.
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A satellite image shows two lakes at the site of the glacial collapse,in the border area between Nepal and Tibet Autonomous Region, China, 28 August 2026.
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People stand on the remains of a house, in the aftermath of flash floods and mudslide, at Trishuli Bazaar, Nuwakot, Nepal, 28 August 2026.
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Members of the Nepal army unload supplies brought in for the affected people at the Maithali Barrack, an army training centre, following flash floods and mudslides, in Trishuli, Nuwakot district, Nepal, 28 August 2026.
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Members of the Nepal army assist a pregnant woman before she is airlifted to a hospital at the Maithali Barrack, an army training centre, following flash floods and mudslides, in Trishuli, Nuwakot district, Nepal, 28 August 2026.
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People look at the lists of survivors outside Maithili Barrack army training centre, in the aftermath of flash floods and mudslide, in Nuwakot Nepal, 28 August 2026.
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Workers transport instant noodles and other relief supplies after a mudslide, in Gyirong town, Gyirong county, Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region, China on 28 August 2026.
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Members of Nepal army refuel a helicopter used in ferrying people affected by deadly flash floods and mudslides at Maithali Barrack, an army training centre, in Trishuli, Nuwakot district, Nepal, 28 August 2026.
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Chinese Premier Li Qiang visits a mudslide-hit area in Gyirong county, Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region, China on 27 August 2026.
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People whose relatives are missing following deadly flash floods and mudslides wait outside a postmortem block of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, 28 August 2026.
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Water and mud flows into a lake at the site of the glacial collapse, in the border area between the Tibet Autonomous Region, China and Bagmati province, Nepal, 28 August 2026, in this screen grab taken from a handout video. VERIFICATION: Terrain and barrier lake matched satellite imagery of the lake on 28 August. Date verified by satellite imagery of the lake on August 28 and Chinese military saying China’s Western Theater Command Air Force detected ice debris flowing into a barrier lake on 28 August.
Reuters