(VIDEO) 10 Things You Must Know About the Deadly Nepal-China Border Flash Flood Disaster as Death Toll Rises

A massive flash flood tore through villages along the Nepal-China border Wednesday, leaving dozens dead and hundreds missing in one of the region’s deadliest natural disasters in recent memory. Here are 10 key things to know about the unfolding crisis.

1. The death toll has climbed to at least 31 and is expected to rise further

Local police in Nepal’s Bagmati province confirmed at least 31 deaths as of Wednesday, up from an earlier reported toll of 17. Officials cautioned the number is likely to increase further given that hundreds of people, including foreign nationals from several countries, remain unaccounted for as search and rescue operations continue.

2. The flood was triggered by an earthquake that set off a landslide

Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal explained the disaster’s origin during a meeting at the House of Representatives. “An earthquake occurred at 8:37 a.m. today, and due to it, a large landslide occurred, blocking the river, which appears to have caused the flood,” Khanal said, referring to the Bhote Koshi river. The United States Geological Survey registered a magnitude 4.4 earthquake in the region at the same time referenced by Khanal, consistent with his account of the disaster’s cause.

3. Tibet has also been badly affected, with China warning of “major casualties”

The flooding crossed into China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, where a mudslide struck the Gyirong border port. Chinese state media warned of “major casualties” in the area, prompting Chinese leader Xi Jinping to call for “all-out” search and rescue efforts, though no official casualty figures for the Chinese side of the border had been released as of Wednesday.

4. Sixty hydropower workers remain missing inside a tunnel

Sixty employees of an under-construction hydroelectric project in northern Nepal are missing following the flood, according to Nepali state media. The workers were employed at the 20-megawatt Langtang Khola Hydroelectric Project in Rasuwa municipality, near the Chinese border. According to Nepal’s RSS national news agency, “the project was carrying out concrete construction work inside a tunnel” when the flood struck, adding that “the flood caused severe damage to the project.”

5. Dramatic rescue footage shows helicopters winching people from rooftops

Video released by the Nepali Army showed rescue teams winching stranded residents from rooftops directly into helicopters, with some of those rescued visibly covered in mud and appearing injured after being battered by the floodwaters. Separate security camera footage captured the moment floodwater crashed through the Nepal-China border area, showing people running for safety as the water appeared to sweep away everything in its path.

6. Gyirong port is a major trade hub tied to China’s Belt and Road initiative

The Chinese border crossing hit hardest by the mudslide, Gyirong port, ranks among the most significant land border crossings between China and Nepal. Situated more than 1,800 meters above sea level, the port typically handles hundreds of millions of dollars in annual two-way trade, accounting for nearly a third of total China-Nepal trade volume in 2024, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua. Beijing views the crossing as an important node within its broader Belt and Road global connectivity initiative.

7. This isn’t the first disaster to strike the same border crossing

Gyirong port has faced repeated natural disasters in recent years. Floods swept away the bridge connecting the port to Nepal’s Rasuwa Port in July 2025, suspending goods trade there for roughly six months, according to state media at the time. The port was also closed for months following a devastating earthquake in 2015, underscoring the crossing’s persistent vulnerability to seismic and flood-related disasters given its remote, mountainous location.

8. Authorities have closed roads to the port and reported communications outages

Chinese authorities announced Wednesday that roads leading to Gyirong port would be closed to non-emergency vehicles for seven days, according to state media, while local reports indicated ongoing communications and power outages in the affected area, complicating both rescue efforts and the flow of information from the disaster zone.

9. International aid and condolences have poured in from multiple countries

The U.S. Embassy in Nepal said it was “deeply saddened” by the loss of life and urged American citizens in the affected Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha, Chitwan and Tanahun districts to stay away from riverbanks and low-lying areas. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung ordered an “all-out” rescue effort, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged solidarity with Nepal and offered “all possible humanitarian assistance.” The Red Cross has separately deployed an emergency response team with relief supplies, saying it had “activated emergency response teams, mobilised volunteers and is deploying an emergency team with relief supplies,” while urging affected communities to “stay alert and follow official safety instructions.”

10. The disaster presents an early test for Nepal’s new, rapper-turned-prime minister

The floods arrive as a significant early challenge for Nepal’s relatively new government under Prime Minister Balen Shah, 36, a former rapper who took office in March following a youth-led movement against corruption and nepotism that swept aside the country’s establishment political parties. Shah campaigned on promises to reform national politics and expand opportunity for young Nepalis, in a country that relies on remittances from migrant workers for roughly a quarter of its gross domestic product. The disaster will likely require close coordination between Shah’s government and both India and China, a relationship that has at times proven complicated; as Kathmandu’s mayor in 2023, Shah previously canceled a scheduled trip to China after Beijing released an updated map that did not reflect Nepal’s own 2020 political boundaries covering certain disputed Himalayan territories.

With hundreds still missing and search and rescue operations continuing on both sides of the mountainous border, officials in Nepal and China have cautioned that the full scope of the disaster’s death toll remains unknown and is likely to climb further as recovery teams reach areas cut off by damaged infrastructure, power outages and disrupted communications in the affected region.