- At least 750 people have died and 3,044 remain missing following a flash flood in Nepal’s Rasuwa district on August 26, 2026.
- Two Irish nationals Santosh Sahu (46) and Spandan Sahu (18) and 12 English, including a 13-year-old girl, are among those missing while travelling with Alpine Eco Trek.
- Family group on Gosaikunda pilgrimage when flash floods struck
- Alpine Eco Trek group included 17 international pilgrims
- The flood originated from an ice avalanche and glacial lake outburst near the Tibet border, surging through the Bhote Koshi River at approximately 9:00 AM.
- Multiple hydropower plants have sustained critical damage, disconnecting 431.1 megawatts of electricity from Nepal’s national grid.
- The Nepal Army has deployed 14 helicopters and rescued 88 individuals, though operations are hindered by ruptured communication networks and severed road access.
- Remote mountain terrain and severed communication hinder rescue efforts
A catastrophic flash flood has devastated Nepal’s Rasuwa district along the Nepal-Tibet border, resulting in at least 750 confirmed deaths and leaving 3,044 people missing of which 579 are tourists, including two Irish nationals who were based in Surrey in England.
The Department of Tourism in Nepal identified Santosh Sahu, aged 46, and Spandan Sahu, aged 18, as two Irish passport holders among the hundreds unaccounted for following catastrophic flash flooding on the Nepal-Tibet border.
The father and son were part of a pilgrimage group travelling with Alpine Eco Trek to Gosaikunda, a sacred alpine lake situated at 4,380 metres in Langtang National Park, when floodwaters and mudslides struck the region on Wednesday. The family group included Surabhi Padhy, 44, and Syna Kumari Sahu, 13, with the broader tourist party comprising 17 individuals from the United Kingdom, South Africa and Ireland.
The flood surged through the Bhote Koshi River at approximately 9:00 AM local time on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, following a high-altitude ice avalanche and permafrost collapse near the Tibet border that triggered a sudden glacial lake outburst. The wall of debris and water swept through the Timure, Rasuwagadhi, and Syabrubesi areas, causing significant damage to settlements, markets, and police infrastructure.
The two Irish tourists were travelling with Alpine Eco Trek and Expedition (P) Ltd., a Kathmandu-based adventure travel company based in Thamel. Ram Kumar Adhikari, the manager of Alpine Eco Trek, confirmed tha, as well s the two Irish, 12 English and four South African nationals were on the excursion are believed to be missing. They were part of a tour group attempting to cross the Nepal-Tibet border when the glacial lake outburst flood struck. Communication remains entirely cut off in the border zone, and local tourist police are attempting to verify their exact coordinates and safety status.
The Nepal Tourism Board has issued an emergency warning, attempting to track and verify the whereabouts of nearly 400 travellers in the region. A preliminary check found 291 foreign nationals had been reported missing, with more than 100 still awaiting nationality confirmation. Officials have confirmed at least 26 Nepal Police personnel, 9 Armed Police officers, and 44 military members remain missing after border security posts were completely destroyed. Downstream communities along the Trishuli River across five districts, including Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha, and Chitwan, have been urged to immediately evacuate riverside areas.
The Nepal Tourism Board shared, “we are working to verify the whereabouts and safety status of tourists and travellers who were in or travelling through the affected
