An avalanche of ice and rock triggered flash floods in Nepal on Wednesday morning, killing at least eight people and leaving hundreds more missing. The Bhotekoshi River flooded around 9 a.m. local time, destroying homes, roads, and hydropower projects in the Himalayan region. The Nepali government has requested assistance from India and China to aid in ongoing rescue efforts.
The flooding follows a similar event in August 2025, when a glacial lake in Tibet overflowed and killed nine people. According to the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region are melting at an accelerated rate. Researchers reported earlier this year that ice loss rates have doubled since 2000, which they attribute to rising global temperatures.
In the Nuwakot district, dozens of multi-story buildings and vehicles were buried under mud. Disaster risk reduction specialist Saswata Sanyal of ICIMOD stated that the Lhende Khola river was blocked by an ice-rock avalanche from a glacier, which kemudian released a sudden surge downstream. Malaysian and South Korean officials confirmed that their citizens, including tourists and hydropower workers, are among those missing in the affected districts.
On a scale affecting regional infrastructure, the floods destroyed hydropower plants and a bridge connecting Nepal and China. For the residents of the Nuwakot, Rasuwa, and surrounding districts, the immediate impact includes the loss of multi-storied housing and primary transportation routes. The Nepali government has warned residents to stay away from the banks of the Bhotekoshi, Trishuli, and Narayani rivers as water levels remain volatile. These communities face the immediate loss of utility services provided by the damaged hydropower projects.
The event sets a precedent for increasing frequency of glacial-related disasters in the region, as this marks the second time the Lhende Khola has flooded in 14 months. Experts from ICIMOD state that because the Himalaya region is warming faster than the global average, residents and regional governments will need to rely more heavily on early warning systems as a primary adaptation strategy. The next steps involve coordinated international search and rescue operations between Nepal, India, and China to locate the hundreds of missing persons.