Number of missing in Nepal after flood rises to 1,924: Disaster authority
- Last updated: August 28, 2026 | 19:55
Nepal's disaster authority raised sharply the number of missing to 1,924 on Friday, two days after devastating floods that killed at least 579 in the country.
The number of missing includes 517 foreigners, as well as 933 workers on hydropower projects on the rivers where a wall of water powered down on Wednesday morning, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.
More than 3,700 people have been rescued in Nepal so far, but 1,924 people remain unaccounted for in the country.
China's state media previously said 558 people were missing on the Chinese side.
Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said the latest death toll had risen to 579.
China state broadcaster CCTV said five people had died in flooding along Tibet's border with Nepal and 558 remained missing.
Tibet is a region in China. Here is the latest: China has sent two rescue teams, comprising 21 people and a search dog, to the disaster site.
The deployment represents the first professional rescue teams to reach the disaster's hardest-hit area, China's Ministry of Emergency Management said on Friday.
Footage aired by China's state broadcaster CCTV showed a rescuer suspended from a drone being lowered onto the bank of the fast-flowing Gyirong River to help deploy an inflatable boat.
A destroyed truck and a bridge pier could be seen nearby. A separate team of 13 experts also later reached the area safely, according to the ministry.
Nepal said it does not require foreign search and rescue teams at this time. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lok Bahadur Poudel Chhetri said domestic personnel are managing the immediate crisis but remain open to targeted international technical support.
"Our security agencies are handling the rescue operations well, so for now, we do not need any rescue teams from other countries," he said. "But it doesn't mean that we don't need any kind of support. We might need expertise and based on the specific requirements, we will take it."
The water level of a barrier lake that was formed in the wake of the floods has fallen, the state broadcaster China Central Television reported, citing data by China's Ministry of Water Resources.
The water level has dropped 10 metres (32 feet) from the high point on Thursday morning, the state broadcaster said.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Friday that two members of an emergency relief team were set to start their operations at the disaster site in Nepal. Japan also has decided to provide emergency relief goods at the request of Nepal and will provide additional support as needed, Motegi said.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif says his country is dispatching emergency relief assistance to support ongoing relief efforts following catastrophic flash floods.
Shahbaz gave the assurances while speaking to Nepalese Prime Minister Balen Shah on Friday.
Shahbaz's office in Islamabad said he conveyed to Shah his "heartfelt condolences over the tragic loss of precious lives and widespread devastation caused by the recent flash floods and landslides."
Shahbaz told Shah that Pakistan stood in complete solidarity with the government and people of Nepal during this difficult time. "I assured Prime Minister Shah of our full support and conveyed that Pakistan is dispatching emergency relief assistance to contribute to the ongoing relief efforts," Shahabz said in the statement from his office.
The International Red Cross said it estimates at least 93,000 people "have been affected and are in great need."
David Fisher, head of delegation in Nepal for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told reporters in Geneva that some areas are still accessible only by helicopter and it hasn't yet been possible to complete initial assessments.
UNICEF said at least 17,000 children are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance while 18 schools have been completely destroyed and another 20 damaged.
The World Health Organization said six health facilities have been damaged and eight health workers are missing.
PM Balen Shah and members of his cabinet will donate one month's salary and remuneration to the Natural Disaster Relief Fund for flood victims, the government said on Friday. The decision was made during a cabinet meeting a day after Shah's inspection of areas in Nuwakot hit by the flood.
Government spokesperson Sasmit Pokharel said the Finance Ministry also has been directed to prepare a relief and rehabilitation package for those affected.
Agencies