BIDUR — The death toll in Nepal from floods triggered by a glacier collapse has surpassed 1,000, with authorities reporting at least 1,003 bodies recovered as of Tuesday afternoon. More than 3,915 people remain missing across the country as rescue operations continue in the devastated northern districts.

The disaster was triggered by a glacier collapse and landslide on Nepal’s border with China on August 26. Flooding occurred at about 8:40 a.m. on Wednesday in the northern district of Rasuwa, sweeping away villages and infrastructure in the mountainous region.

At least 590 foreign nationals from 39 countries are among the missing in Nepal, according to the Nepal disaster management authority. At least 80 Americans are among the missing, with lists published by Nepal's tourism board indicating that at least 64 of the missing tourists in Rasuwa district are from the United States.

In Bidur, workers in white hazmat suits are unloading bodies from ambulances and placing them on blue tarps in a cordoned off area. Helicopters are transporting aid and survivors in the municipality, which serves as a hub for relief operations in Nuwakot District.

Access remains a major obstacle to response efforts, with roads passable only as far as Nuwakot. The Nepali Army deployed over 9,200 troops in flood-affected areas, including Rasuwa, Dhading, Chitwan, and Nawalparasi East, to assist in search and rescue operations.

Authorities are using at least 21 hospitals to store remains, and bodies are being buried in some cases to prevent infection, with hopes for later identification. Police Inspector Anil Thapa said 199 dead had been buried in one temporary burial area in Chitwan, and another about 80 people were to be buried on Monday.

Nabin Karki, a superintendent of police in Pokhara, said authorities were collecting DNA samples and displaying photos of bodies for identification. Relatives of the missing can provide blood samples for DNA testing, and if a match is found, the body can be exhumed and returned to the family.

Emergency responders searched tunnels for the missing at Rasuwa's Langtang Hydropower Project, where the Nepali Army rescued 279 people alive from hydro areas during immediate rescue operations. At least 639 people remain stuck in several devastated hydropower stations, and rescue teams from China, India and Nepal are focused on these sites.

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the U.N.'s secretary-general, said some 65,000 people are in need of emergency water, sanitation or hygiene support. He said more than 22,000 children need protection, 2,600 children under five are expected to need treatment for severe wasting, and around 10,500 pregnant and breastfeeding women need nutrition assistance.

Preliminary reports indicated that about 107 children may have been separated from their parents or caregivers. Power and communication lines were restored in some areas, though challenges persist in reaching isolated communities.

Beijing will send DNA testing experts and a second batch of relief supplies to Nepal. South Korea will send a 44-member emergency relief team to support search and rescue operations in the Rasuwa region, where nine South Korean nationals working at a hydropower project are missing. "The time has come for us to strongly raise before the international community the disasters we are experiencing as a consequence of climate change," Shah said. This is Nepal’s deadliest natural disaster since the April 2015 earthquake that killed around 9,000 people.

Why It Matters

The scale of the loss places this event as the second deadliest in Nepal's modern history, trailing only the 2015 earthquake. The high number of missing persons, including hundreds of foreign nationals, reflects the international scope of the tragedy and the logistical challenges of identification and recovery in remote Himalayan terrain.

Prime Minister Shah’s invocation of climate change connects the immediate disaster to long-term environmental shifts affecting the region. The deployment of thousands of troops and the involvement of multiple national rescue teams reflect the severity of the infrastructure damage and the need for coordinated international support in the aftermath.

What's New

Aid worth more than $42 million had poured into Nepal after the disaster, according to Prime Minister Balendra Shah. Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah announced that more than 11,000 people had been rescued across the affected region, showing the scale of the emergency response.

Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah called the catastrophe 'unimaginable and heartbreaking' and stated that more than 11,000 people had been rescued across the affected region. The Nepal National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority reported that more than 1,000 people had been declared dead, and over 3,915 others were still missing, including at least 583 foreign nationals, as of September 1, 2026.

The glacier collapse occurred on August 26. Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority reported that over 3,916 people were missing in Nepal as of a 1 p.m. update on Tuesday, September 1, 2026.

Police Inspector Thapa said 199 dead had been buried in one temporary burial area in Chitwan. Stéphane Dujarric said more than 22,000 children need protection.

How Sources Differ

Sources differ on the number of foreign nationals missing. The Nepal disaster management authority states that at least 590 foreign nationals from 39 countries are among the missing in Nepal. The Nepal National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority states that at least 583 foreign nationals are among the missing in Nepal.