Summary

  • At least 675 people have died and more than 2,400 people are missing in Nepal, local officials say, after flash floods on Wednesday

  • In Tibet, the official death toll is 16, with 546 reported to be missing, according to Chinese state media

  • Rescue efforts continue on the Nepal-Tibet border - 320 foreign nationals are among the missing, Nepal's tourism board says

  • Information is more tightly controlled by the Chinese authorities and it has been harder to assess the scale of the disaster in Tibet

  • Levels at a lake formed after the floods - which had prompted safety concerns over fears it could overflow - are now receding, Chinese officials say

Live Reporting

Edited by Joel Guinto with reporting from BBC Nepali, Azadeh Moshiri in Kathmandu, and Laura Bicker in Beijing

  1. Terrain making aid delivery 'extremely difficult', UN says

    Soldier involved in Nepal flood aid, with helicopter hovering in the backgroundGetty Images

    Aid is arriving but it is proving difficult to reach the people affected, United Nations resident coordinator in Nepal Lila Pieters Yahia tells the BBC.

    The UN coordinator says both Indian and Chinese rescue teams that arrived yesterday were working to provide extra support.

    "But it's difficult to bring it to reach the people because the access is extremely difficult," Yahia says.

    Thegovernment has begun "airlifting everything" by helicopter, and using drones to deliver the aid more effectively is being discussed within the government, the official adds.

    "The weather is not helping us," Yahia adds.

    As we reported earlier, a rainfall warning is in effect in the disaster zone until Monday.

  2. Global warming has led to accelerated melting of Himalayas' glaciers

    Navin Singh Khadka
    Environment correspondent, BBC World Service

    How much of a role climate change played in the collapse of the glacier that caused this devastating flood might be known if there are focused studies in the days to come.

    But what we already know is that global warming has led to accelerated melting of Himalayas' glaciers, icefields, snowpacks and permafrost.

    Scientists say thinning and retreating of glaciers can not only cause their collapse but can also rapidly fill up glacial lakes that can then burst out causing floods.

    They say ice and snow buttress mountain slopes – just like cement keeps buildings intact. When they fast melt, then mountains destabilise and we see increased incidents of rockfalls, landslides, avalanches and debris floods – as we are seeing in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region.

    Because of warming, experts say, higher parts of mountains now also see rains instead of snow that can also make them unstable.

    A study by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development released in March showed that ice loss rates in the region have doubled since 2000.

  3. Yellow rain warnings over flood-hit area until at least Monday

    Nepalese villagers sitting at a distance from the Trishuli river near the Nepal-Tibet borderGetty Images

    Heavy rain since the flash flooding first hit on Wednesday has made search and rescue efforts more challenging, authorities say.

    And the forecast for the area suggests the wet weather will continue.

    The Nepalese Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has issued yellow rain warnings for the area lasting until at least Monday, advising people to stay updated.

    That's the lowest of the three warnings the agency issues - below amber and red - and is fairly typical for the area. But it will likely further hamper efforts on the ground.

  4. BBC Verify

    Drone video captures moment of glacier collapse

    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.

    Watch: Drone footage captures moment of glacier collapse

  5. 'Families should not be left without answers'

    Simon Atkinson
    Australia reporter

    Chinese state media is reporting that there are six Australians among the 261 foreign nationals identified as missing on the Chinese side of the border between Nepal and Tibet.

    I am trying to establish whether the Australian government believes that those six are among the total of 41 citizens unaccounted for (the national broadcaster the ABC says it understands this has risen to 42 but I have not yet verified this).

    One of those missing is Sumi Adhikari from Sydney. This morning I've been in touch with her husband Nava Pandey, who has travelled to Nepal to try and help locate her.

    He is asking for "close coordination between the Nepalese and Chinese authorities".

    "We respectfully call upon the Chinese government and local authorities to release all available verified information, provide regular updates about the search efforts and establish direct communication with the affected families," Pandey says.

    "Families should not be left without answers during such a critical time."

    Sumi Adhikari, Australian national missing in Nepal Tibet floodsSupplied

    Sumi Adhikari

    As I mentioned in a post yesterday, also missing from the same tour group is Reshma Patel from Newcastle in New South Wales.

    Her husband Bhavin Patel has also flown to Nepal and in a statement says that phone data had led him to believe his wife had crossed into Tibet.

    "We respectfully appeal to Australia, Nepal and China for urgent coordination and continued search efforts in the Gyirong area," he wrote.

    "Our family is desperately seeking assistance to locate her".

  6. Chinese state media: 261 foreigners among missing in Tibet

    According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, among the 546 missing people in the Tibet flood, 261 are foreigners from 23 countries.

    Chinese authorities have notified their embassies and consulates in China, CCTV reports.

    Fifteen British nationals are among the missing in Tibet, according to the report.

    Nepalese authorities have already reported that 33 British nationals are missing. Several of them are thought to have been making their way across the border to Tibet, so it is unclear how many of the 15 British nationals reported as missing by Chinese authorities are included in the figure reported by Nepal.

    Here is a further breakdown of missing foreigners on the Tibet side, according to Chinese state media: three Malaysians, 104 Nepalis, 49 Indians, four South Africans, two Irish nationals, two Estonians, three Germans, three Russians, two French nationals, one Finn, two Dutch nationals, 33 Latvians, one Lithuanian, one Portuguese national, one Ukrainian, one Spaniard, one Hungarian, six Canadians, 18 Americans, six Australians and two New Zealanders.

    The information on the missing people came from a joint investigation and collaboration with multiple agencies including foreign affairs, public security, culture and tourism and emergency management.

  7. In pictures: Rescue efforts continue in Nepal and Tibet

    Members of the military and police are among those who are continuing to search for the hundreds of people still missing in both countries.

    Personnel from the Nepali Army, Nepal Police, and Armed Police Force (APF) deployed at Bidur Military Camp as search and rescue operations continue in Bidur, Nuwakot District, NepalGetty Images

    Nepali military and police personnel operate in Nepal's Nuwakot District

    An elderly woman rests at a makeshift flood relief camp inside a hospital after being displaced from an old age home in DevighatGetty Images

    A woman rests at a makeshift flood relief camp inside a hospital after being displaced from a home for seniors

    Rescue workers clear debris during search operations near the Gyirong port after a mudslide, in Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region, China August 29Reuters

    Rescue workers continue to clear debris near the Gyirong Port, one of the main border crossings between Nepal and Tibet

    Photographs of the missing and the dead are displayed outside Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu, NepalGetty Images

    Photographs of the missing and the dead are show outside Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu

  8. Death count in Tibet rises to 16
    Breaking

    According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, as of 18:00 local time (11:00 BST) Saturday, 16 people had died from the mudslide in Gyirong county, Shigatse city, while 546 others are missing

    Previously officials had said seven people had died.

    At a news conference in Gyirong County, officials said the mudslide had caused significant casualties at the Gyirong border port.

  9. Nepal's disaster response agency warns of flood level increase

    Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) says it has received reports of a flood level increase near the Bhote Koshi River.

    This was one of two rivers through which powerful flood water and debris travelled on Wednesday, rushing past popular tourist and pilgrim towns in northern Nepal.

    The NDRRMA says people should stay alert in the areas around the river.

    Map showing the extent of mudflow and rockflow caused by a glacier collapse in northern Nepal. The debris flow, based on satellite analysis from Unitar, follows the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river valleys from the collapse site near the Tibet border, past a destroyed border checkpoint and through Syapru Besi. An inset map locates the affected area north of Kathmandu.

  10. What caused the landslide?

    Initial reports of an earthquake on the Nepal-Tibet border led many to believe that a tremor had caused a landslide, which in turn caused the devastating floods early on Wednesday.

    However, the US Geological Survey (USGS) later confirmed the disaster was caused by a "glacial collapse", which is when a glacier or part of a glacier disintegrates.

    The impact of the collapsed glacier hitting the bottom of a valley was so powerful that it registered a magnitude of 5.2, according to the agency, causing "subsequent catastrophic impacts downstream".

    Powerful floodwaters and debris travelled some 62 miles (100km) downstream from the Trishuli and Bhote Koshi Rivers, the USGS said, careering through towns popular with mountaineering tourists and pilgrims in northern Nepal.

    The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIDMOD) has warned secondary flooding could occur in the coming days as a result of debris that washed into the river systems.

    The ICIDMOD said they were assessing whether the Trishuli River had been temporarily blocked in narrow sections. If this is the case, it is at risk of forming a landslide dam and a second flood.

    A five-step illustration explains a glacier collapse and its impacts. First, a section of glacier breaks off high on a mountain at 5,200m. Second, the falling ice drops 1,200m, gathering rocks and debris. Third, the debris blocks a river and dams water behind it. Fourth, the dam fails, releasing a large flood downstream. Fifth, narrow valleys funnel the floodwaters towards settlements and villages along the river.

  11. US pledges $3.6m in aid

    The US will be providing $3.6m (£2.6m) in humanitarian assistance, including up to three months of emergency food assistance to 10,000 households affected by the floods, the State Department says.

    “There is no higher priority for us than the safety of American citizens,” states a post from the department on X.

    “Our embassies in Nepal and China are working closely to assist Americans and support disaster relief efforts.”

  12. Watch: Why is China censoring footage of the floods?

    Our China correspondent Laura Bicker explains

  13. Rescuers battle adverse weather in effort to reach workers trapped in hydroelectric tunnels

    Workers in high vis and helmets use a large drill into a hard surface. They are in a valley where the ground is thick with mud and clouds hang in the airNepalese government

    An image shared by the Nepalese energy minister earlier on Saturday in a post providing updates on the rescue mission at the Trishuli-3 'A' hydropower site

    Throughout Saturday, Nepalese energy minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha provided updates on rescue efforts at hydroelectric facilities in the flood-hit area.

    At the Trishuli-3 'A' hydropower site rescuers have managed to drill a hole into one of the facility's cable tunnels.

    He says an initial inspection reveals no debris inside, but no communication has been established with anyone inside.

    The hope is that rescuers will be able to make a hole big enough for a person to enter, which may allow rescuers to access the site's main tunnel.

    In his most recent update, he says rescuers would try and work through the night, but that there is a risk their efforts could be impacted and even suspended "for some time as water flow is increasing due to continuous rain".

    Earlier in the day, he said rescue efforts were also continuing at another hydroelectic facility, Trishuli-3 'B'.

    Specialist teams from China and India have joined Nepalese rescuers for search and rescue efforts linked to a number of hydroelectric sites in the area.

  14. More than 250 foreign nationals rescued, Nepal Tourism Board says

    In its most recent update, the Nepal Tourism Board said that 261 foreign nationals have been rescued while 320 are unaccounted for.

    Officials have provided this breakdown showing how many people from each country have been rescued:

    • Belgium - 1
    • Bulgaria - 1
    • China - 40
    • Germany - 4
    • India - 167
    • Italy - 2
    • Malta - 4
    • Oman - 1
    • Portugal - 1
    • Russia - 2
    • Spain - 2
    • Switzerland - 2
    • Turkey -2
    • Ukraine - 8
    • US - 3
    • Unidentified - 21

  15. Rescue efforts enter fifth day on Nepal-Tibet border after flash floods

    The valley as seen from the air. The bloated river brown with mud flows past a settlement. The building and streets are coated in mudReuters

    Rescue efforts have entered their fifth day in Nepal and Tibet after flash flooding devestated a border area on Wednesday.

    The US Geological Survey and local officials believe the devestating flow of water, mud and debris was caused by a glacier collapsing.

    In Nepal, at least 675 people have died, according to the country's disaster response agency.

    It says more than 2,400 people are missing, and more than 18,700 rescuers have been deployed.

    In Tibet, the official death toll is seven, with 554 reported missing, according to Chinese state media.