8 dead, hundreds missing as Nepal avalanche triggers flash floods

Damaged houses stand precariously near the swollen, debris-choked banks of the Trishuli River after flash floods in Nepal's Nuwakot district on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. Niranjan Shrestha/AP hide caption

UDIN DHUNGA, Nepal — An avalanche of ice and rock triggered massive flash floods in Nepal on Wednesday, killing at least eight people and leaving hundreds missing while causing widespread damage to villages and infrastructure.

Officials said 384 tourists, including 291 from countries such as India, the United States, the United Kingdom and Malaysia, were reported missing.

The Bhotekoshi River flooded around 9 a.m. local time Wednesday, destroying several villages, roads and hydropower projects, officials said.

"We have asked both India and China to help us with the rescue efforts," said Sasmit Pokharel, a spokesperson for the Nepali government.

Dozens of multi-storied buildings, trucks, and vans were buried under vast quantities of mud in the district of Nuwakot, one of the worst-affected areas. Officials warned residents in several of Nepal's districts and asked them to stay away from the banks of the Bhotekoshi, Trishuli, and Narayani rivers.

Nepal tourism board officials said most of the missing were likely tourists from India and the Indian diaspora on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred site for Hindus.

South Korean government officials said their citizens working on building a hydropower plant in Nepal were among those reported missing.