Summary

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  1. Cracks in two other glaciers nearby being monitored - officialspublished at 16:09 BST 28 August

    Navin Singh Khadka
    Environment correspondent, BBC World Service

    Meteorology officials in Nepal have said they are now trying to monitor two other glaciers close to the one that collapsed causing the devastating floods on Wednesday.

    They say the monitoring is crucial because some images they have received seem to show cracks on the glaciers.

    They quickly add that the cracks may not mean a sign of imminent collapse and that they could be something the glaciers have had for some time now.

    "But given what has happened with the nearby glacier, we are trying to monitor this as much as possible," a senior official with Nepal’s department of hydrology and meteorology told the BBC.

    The official said they were examining drone pictures shared by China, that were taken in and around the glacier collapse site on the northern flank of Mount Langtang Lirung, which is on the Nepal side of the border.

    Experts with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), an international organisation that specialises on Himalayan hazards, said the two other glaciers feed into the same Lhende river that was flooded.

    "Satellite imagery suggests one of the glaciers may contain hanging glacier ice masses that warrant observation and assessment," said Qianggong Zhang, head of climate and environmental risks, with ICIMOD.

    Scientists say hanging glaciers can be more hazardous because they cling to steep mountain slopes - just like a part of the collapsed glacier did.

    A shaded relief map of Nepal showing the Himalayan mountain region and major river systems. A red callout box marks the location of a glacier collapse near the Bhote Koshi river in north-eastern Nepal, close to the border with China. The Trishuli river and Kathmandu are labelled, and an arrow indicates the downstream direction towards India. An inset map of Asia highlights Nepal's location.
  2. Images show helicopter rescue from Nepalese villagepublished at 15:58 BST 28 August

    Images from Nepal show people waiting to board an army helicopter during a rescue mission in the village of Hatigauda, Nuwakot district.

    It comes after Nepal's information minister Bikram Timilsina earlier said some of worse affected areas were "physically totally disconnected", with helicopter being the only viable rescue method.

    People rush to board a Nepal Army helicopter during a rescue operation in the aftermath of flash floods, in Hatigauda village, Nuwakot district, Nepal, 28 August 2026Image source, EPA
    People rush toward a Nepal Army helicopter during a rescue operation in the aftermath of flash floods, in Hatigauda village, Nuwakot district, Nepal, 28 August 2026Image source, EPA
    People react during a rescue operation by a Nepal Army helicopter in the aftermath of flash floods, in Hatigauda village, Nuwakot district, Nepal, 28 August 2026Image source, EPA
    People are rescued during an operation by a Nepal Army helicopter in the aftermath of flash floods, in Hatigauda village, Nuwakot district, Nepal, 28 August 202Image source, EPA
  3. Why it's difficult to know the scale of the impact in Tibetpublished at 15:50 BST 28 August

    Laura Bicker
    China correspondent

    Rescue workers search for victims at Gyirong Port on August 28, 2026 in Gyirong, Xizang Autonomous Region of China.Image source, VCG via Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Tibet is one of the most strictly controlled regions in China

    Tibet, which China annexed in the 1950s, is one of the most strictly controlled regions in the country.

    It has long demanded greater autonomy and is heavily monitored because Beijing fears any signs of instability such as protests.

    That is why orders have come personally from the top leader Xi Jinping, and Premier Li Qiang visited the site on Thursday. It is rare for him to make a visit so soon after a major disaster.

    To get into Tibet requires a special visa and it is difficult, if not impossible, for foreign media to gain entry. Trying to contact people there is just as hard.

    This makes it very difficult for us to know what is happening, and we are relying heavily on reports from Chinese state media.

    Pilgrims making their way from Nepal through Tibet to the sacred mountain of Mount Kailash need four separate permits, which includes special permission from the Chinese military.

  4. Death toll in Nepal rises to 579, say officialspublished at 15:41 BST 28 August
    Breaking

    The number of people killed in Nepal has risen to 579, according to the latest release by Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA).

    Officials say that around 4,000 people have been rescued.

  5. Nearly 2,000 people missing in Nepalpublished at 15:39 BST 28 August

    We can now bring you more information from Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.

    In its latest update, it says the number of people missing in Nepal has risen to 1,924, with 15,000 security personnel deployed in search and rescue operations.

    That figure includes 517 foreign nationals, it says.

    A little while ago we brought you an update from the Nepalese police, which said 575 foreign nationals were missing. The two authorities are separate, and the data from Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority is dated two hours after the data released by the police.

  6. Number of missing foreign nationals in Nepal rises to 575 - 149 Nepalese tourists unaccounted forpublished at 14:52 BST 28 August

    The number of foreign nationals missing in Nepal has risen to 575, the Nepalese police have said.

    That's an increase from their last update around six hours ago, when they said around 537 foreign nationals were missing.

    There are missing foreign nationals from 36 countries, it says, including 183 Indian nationals, 65 US nationals, and 62 Ukrainian nationals.

    It says there are 33 British nationals missing.

    There are 149 Nepalese tourists to the area missing, it says.

    Update 15:50: This post has been updated to clarify that 149 Nepalese tourists are missing. According to the latest government update 1,407 Nepalese people are unaccounted for.

  7. BBC Verify

    Drone video captures moment of glacier collapsepublished at 14:27 BST 28 August

    By Charlotte Green and Benedict Garman

    BBC Verify has authenticated two videos which show the moment of a glacier collapse in the Himalayas which triggered the deadly Nepal-Tibet floods.

    The videos, filmed by a drone and posted to the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, capture the landslide near the Langtang Lirung peak, more than 7,200m (23,600ft) above sea level.

    Plumes of dust can be seen rising into the air near the snow-covered mountains.

    The location of the clips match the direction of the floodwater which surged down the Trishuli river, devastating villages and communities along its way.

  8. 'Dams of this kind often fail': A closer look at what could happen to the barrier lakepublished at 14:09 BST 28 August

    Mark Poynting
    Climate and science reporter

    As we've been reporting, a barrier lake has formed in the region, where water has been collecting behind a natural dam of loose rock and mud.

    One possibility is the water could slowly spill over the crest of the dam or seep through the rocks, which would allow the lake to gradually drain away.

    But the fear is that could also destabilise the dam, potentially causing it to suddenly break apart.

    This could allow much of the lake water to be released at once.

    "Unlike an engineered dam, this barrier has no spillway and no solid core," says Dr Fatima Pillosu of the University of Reading.

    "So, dams of this kind often fail, many within days or weeks of forming," she adds.

    Scientists will be closely monitoring the lake's water levels and any changes to the structure of the dam.

    But they say it's not possible to predict exactly when – or even whether – a sudden collapse will happen.

    We've got more detail on the barrier lake in a separate story here.

  9. The lake of flood water and debris prompting fears of a second flood in Nepalpublished at 13:53 BST 28 August

    China has warned there is a "high risk" that a lake which formed after the landslide could breach its banks.

    A type of barrier lake, a body of water formed when debris dams a river, concerns over its levels saw rescue efforts temporarily suspended today, but they have since resumed.

    In the video below, our China correspondent Laura Bicker talks you through why officials are so concerned about it.

    Media caption,

    Watch: The lake prompting fears of second flood in Nepal

  10. Helicopters rescue the stranded, as Nepal faces aftermath of disasterpublished at 13:30 BST 28 August

    In Nepal, rescue efforts are continuing following deadly flash floods.

    Helicopters have been drafted in to rescue those stranded.

    Away from the worst-hit areas, family members are lining up to speak to officials about their missing relatives.

    People hunched over walking towards a helicopter.Image source, EPA
    Image caption,

    People being rescued with a Nepal Army helicopter at Hatigauda village, Nuwakot district, Nepal

    A man stands on one side of a table as a woman with paper and pen sits opposite.Image source, EPA
    Image caption,

    People inquire about their relatives at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu

    Emergency teams continue search and rescue operations near a river, people gather and look at damage as the ground is wet.Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Residents near the Trishuli River, one of the worst-affected regions, look over the damage caused by floods

  11. 'My heart sank when I saw the hotel where my cousin was staying'published at 13:15 BST 28 August

    Adam Mandeville
    Reporting from Belfast

    Sabin Pandey
    Image caption,

    Sabin Pandey says his cousin is missing

    Sabin Pandey lives in Northern Ireland and helps to run a tour company in Nepal.

    Sabin’s cousin, who is a tour guide in the region, has been missing since the disaster, along with 46 other people in the tour group.

    "It’s a very difficult time," he tells BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster.

    At first, Sabin thought the lack of signal was stopping the group from making contact. But, when Sabin’s brother took a helicopter over the hotel the group had been staying in, he says there was "no trace" of the building.

    "My heart sank. The whole hotel is completely rubble."

    Now, Sabin believes there are "very slim chances that we could get any survivors".

  12. The 'heartbreaking scene' inside a camp housing Nepal flood survivorspublished at 12:59 BST 28 August

    Shreejana Shrestha
    BBC Nepali, reporting from Nuwakot

    A brown-haired woman wearing a white shirt as she cries, her left hand resting on her chest above her heart. She appears to be sitting under a tent, two red camp beds behind her
    Image caption,

    One woman rescued by the Nepali Army on Thursday said her husband, father, and mother were still missing after the devastating flood near the Nepal-Tibet border

    BBC Nepali's Shreejana Shrestha travelled to Nuwakot, one of the main affected districts in central Nepal, to visit an army camp that had been turned into a search and rescue centre. This is what she saw.

    I entered the camp to an absolutely heartbreaking scene.

    Hundreds of people were queuing outside, desperately trying to see if they could find their loved ones.

    Inside, a woman cradling an infant in her arms was crying hysterically. Her entire family, including her father, husband and mother, were all missing. She was traumatised, and in so much pain.

    There were other people who had sustained injuries, and some who said they had miraculously survived.

    One driver who was working in Rasua told us he'd been thrown into the water when the floods hit. He still doesn't know how he managed to survive. Yet while thankful to be alive, he was also devastated - he had lost more than 20 of his friends.

    When I tried speaking to him I could see he was unable to focus, and not in a proper state of mind. There were tears in his eyes.

    At one point while I was filming, a woman - perhaps in her 60s or 70s - was taken out of a helicopter and brought to the centre to be treated. She suddenly collapsed as I was recording, and I later learned that she had died.

    It is difficult to describe what I saw.

    You can read more of Shreejana Shrestha's account in our story

  13. Death toll continues to rise as Chinese officials monitor barrier lakepublished at 12:46 BST 28 August

    A man in a long-sleeved red shirt, black vest and grey trousers points toward a river bed running past the remains of a destroyed house, debris and mud covering the groundImage source, Reuters

    It's just gone 17:30 in Kathmandu, and rescue operations are still ongoing after a deluge of material careered towards northern Nepalese towns on Wednesday.

    Here's a look at the latest developments:

  14. Footage shows Nepali army rescuing survivors trapped inside tunnelpublished at 12:30 BST 28 August

    The Nepali army has been working to rescue survivors who had been trapped inside a tunnel at a hydropower project in Rasuwa.

    Footage shared by the country's prime minister office shows soldiers carrying survivors and crawling across thick slates of mud to reach others.

    Watch the video below:

  15. 'I'm telling my kids to prepare for the worst,' says dad whose wife is missingpublished at 12:19 BST 28 August

    James Kelly
    Your Voice

    A man wearing a snapback cap and a tour operator company sign standing beside Geetha Reddy in an airport.Image source, Vikram Kolagatla
    Image caption,

    Geetha Reddy (right) pictured with a tour operator employee

    Vikram Kolagatla is trying to find out whether his wife, Geetha Reddy, survived the flash flooding.

    Vikram, from London, says Geetha, 43, went to the region for a pilgrimage on Saturday and was due back on 4 September.

    He hasn't heard anything from her since the flooding occurred and he isn't getting "much information" from the British consulate, who he says have told him they are "depending on Nepal to update them".

    Vikram, 50, and the couple's two daughters, aged 12 and 14, are anxiously waiting to hear any news.

    “We’re not sure what to do. I have two little girls, and their schools are starting next week. The kids still don’t believe it.

    "They think she’s stuck in the flood and that she’ll come back... there’s no mobile network. I’m trying to tell them to be prepared for the worst," he adds.

    A purple banner with white writing that says Your Voice.
  16. Rescuers are on edge as heavy rain complicates rescue missionpublished at 12:05 BST 28 August

    Azadeh Moshiri
    Reporting from Trishuli, Nepal

    It is now pouring with rain here in Trishuli. Emergency workers had already told us weather conditions were complicating their rescue missions.

    The terrain here is mountainous, and the worst-hit areas on the other side of the river are now isolated.

    Bridges have been washed away, and helicopters continue to search for survivors.

    We just left the river bank of the Trishuli river, after emergency warnings had eased.

    The road and buildings were already submerged in mud from Wednesday’s disaster, and emergency workers were still keeping an eye, worried of any further flooding.

    Rescuers are on edge, and this rain won’t help.

    Rescue workers in Trishuli, with mud and bricks all over the scene
  17. 'My family needs me': Brits flying to Nepal in search of loved onespublished at 11:47 BST 28 August

    A split image of two women.Image source, PRAMOD POUDEL AND NARESH GOYAL
    Image caption,

    Pramod Poudel's wife (left) and Neetu Goyal Tiwari (right) have been missing since the floods hit Nepal

    As search and rescue efforts continue, many families are desperately waiting for news about their loved ones.

    Neetu Goyal Tiwari is one of 33 British nationals missing in the wake of the devastating Nepal-Tibet floods.

    "Please help us find her," her brother Naresh Goyal tells the BBC.

    Tiwari, 51, had travelled to Nepal to take part in the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrimage, which was "her dream", Goyal says.

    She was expected to return to India on Thursday and meet her brother and parents. But now, the family is desperately searching for answers.

    Meanwhile Pramod Poudel, who lives in Uckfield in East Sussex, has told the BBC he has not heard from his family - mum, wife, brother and uncle - since the flood hit on Wednesday.

    "It's a very, very difficult time for me and for my family and my country at this moment, but obviously I have to go and see what's happening there," he says, adding he is travelling home to Nepal because "my family needs me".

    Read more on this story: Families fly to Nepal in search for 33 missing British nationals

  18. More than 90,000 estimated to be affected by Nepal floods - Red Crosspublished at 11:42 BST 28 August

    The head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) delegation to Nepal, David Fisher, says concerns remain about the potential impact of new flooding in the country.

    "We're of course very concerned about the secondary flood," Fisher tells a press briefing this morning as he adds that an estimated 93,000 people may have been affected by Wednesday's disaster.

    The IFRC has launched an emergency appeal for CHF 25m (£23m; $31m) to support the "immediate lifesaving response", the organisation says in a statement, adding it has mobilised "its entire global network".

  19. Management of bodies has become a challenge, official tells BBCpublished at 11:35 BST 28 August

    Ishwor Joshi
    BBC Nepali, Chitwan

    The flash flood has washed away many bodies to faraway districts in the downstream and it appears that the identification of the deceased and the handover could be a huge challenge.

    The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority have said 221 dead bodies have been discovered in Chitwan, nearly 186km (299 miles) south of Kathmandu and 134 bodies in Nawalparasi east - located around 200km (321 miles) south of Kathmandu.

    Ganesh Aryal, who is the chief district officer of Chitwan, tells the BBC many bodies are not in a good state and the management has become a challenge.

    A mortuary at the local hospital is out of capacity, hence the officials have designated a government building to store those bodies.

  20. Nepal Police say 547 people confirmed deadpublished at 11:25 BST 28 August
    Breaking

    In the latest update from Nepal Police, it says 547 people are confirmed to have been killed so far, with a further 1,473 people injured.

    This is slightly higher than the number of 538 announced by the Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) a short while ago.

    The force adds that 4,473 police personnel are responding to the disaster.