Nepali rescuers have rescued a British man nearly a week after devastating flash floods tore through the country and killed more than 1,000 people.
A search and rescue spokesperson said: ‘We have rescued 118 Nepalese people… 44 are female and 74 are male.
‘We have also rescued one British male during this search and rescue operation.’
Floodwaters surged across the Nepal-Tibet border, sweeping away homes, buildings, roads and bridges, all while carrying mud and rocks downstream and causing widespread devastation on Wednesday, August 26.
This afternoon, disaster officials said at least 1,050 people in Nepal were killed by the floods, with more than 4,000 people still missing.
Chinese officials confirmed that 16 people had been killed in Tibet, on the other side of the border.
It comes as experts warned millions of tons of ice contained in glaciers surrounding the flash-flood-hit valley are at risk of collapse, which could cause yet another natural disaster.
Rescue teams with search dogs continued to search through mud, rocks and debris on Tuesday on the border with Nepal and China for the thousands still missing.
People salvage their belongings from a building damaged by flash flooding in Nuwakot district of Nepal, Tuesday, September 1, 2026
The scale of the disaster is hampering rescue efforts in both countries, with landslides, destroyed roads and widespread damage cutting off remote areas.
Crews faced challenging conditions as they searched unstable terrain and piles of debris, raising fears the death toll could rise as rescuers reach isolated communities.
Rescuers are racing to reach hundreds of workers believed to be trapped inside tunnels at hydropower projects in Nepal damaged by the floods.
About 900 workers are missing from 12 projects, with roughly 500 believed to be trapped in tunnels, according to local authorities.
An army spokesperson said teams assisted by foreign experts were working at several hydropower projects.
Images released by the army showed rescue teams entering debris-filled tunnels and wading through mud and water in the search for signs of life.
On the Chinese side, rescue crews scoured areas hit by mudslides, particularly around the Gyirong Port border crossing, which was destroyed.
Some rescuers, aided by search dogs, searched gaps among rocks and debris for signs of life.
Other teams used heavy machinery to clear a major highway leading to Gyirong Port, hoping to clear the way for equipment, personnel and supplies to reach the disaster zone.
In Kathmandu, police worked in heavy rain on Tuesday to bury dozens of bodies in multiple trenches next to a forested area.
Damaged houses stand precariously near the swollen, debris-choked banks of the Trishuli River after flash floods in Nepal’s Nuwakot district on Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Satellite image shows the glacier on Mount Langtang Lirung in Nepal, days after its collapse on August 26
Barbed wire was erected around the site, while blue numbered markers identified the graves of people whose names were not yet known.
Authorities in Nepal have been burying bodies in temporary graves until they can be identified. They are preserving DNA samples, photographing distinguishing facial features and recording other identifying details.
Each body is assigned a reference number to help families identify and claim the remains later.
At least 11,814 people have been rescued so far. Emergency crews used helicopters and other aircraft to reach stranded communities in areas where roads and bridges have been destroyed by the flooding and landslides.
Efforts are being stepped up to provide assistance to survivors in areas where roads and other transportation routes had been damaged or cut off.
China said a second batch of relief supplies was being sent to Nepal, including drones, DNA testing and water purification equipment. Chinese DNA testing experts will also help Nepal identify bodies.
Bimal Sharma, a helicopter pilot who has been flying rescue and relief missions, said he was shocked to see the devastation in Timure, a border town close to Tibet that he has known for years.
‘It felt like I was flying over an entirely different landscape,’ said Mr Sharma, adding that he has had little opportunity to speak with the people he rescued. ‘I can see the pain in their eyes. It’s heartbreaking,’ he said.
The disaster began in the Himalayas when a glacial collapse sent large amounts of rock, ice and meltwater into valleys below, triggering powerful floods downstream.
Nepal army soldiers work during a search and rescue operation outside a tunnel near the Hydropower Project sites, following deadly flash floods and mudslides, in Rasuwa district, Nepal, in this handout obtained by Reuters on September 1, 2026
Scientists studying satellite imagery said the collapse appears to have involved the failure of bedrock beneath a glacier in the Himalayan region. The rockfall was powerful enough to register as a magnitude-5.2 seismic event.
Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah said that the disaster highlighted the need for action to combat climate change.
‘This incident has indicated that the risks we face in the Himalayan region are increasing with climate change,’ Mr Shah said in a social media post Monday night.
‘Therefore, this region must be alert, and at the same time, it is time for us to strongly raise the issue of disasters caused by climate change before the international community.’
More to follow.
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