The Human Cost of Nepal's Deadliest Flash Floods

On August 26, 2026, a massive glacial collapse occurred near the Nepal–Tibet border. Over 100 million cubic meters of ice and rock plunged into the valley, melting rapidly from the friction of the fall. Within minutes, a torrent of meltwater, mud, and boulders surged nearly 100 km downstream through the Lende Khola and Trishuli River basins. The flood flattened houses and businesses across the Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading districts, severing critical roads, bridges, and water and power networks. Over 1,300 people lost their lives, thousands remain missing, and 65,000 residents were directly affected as entire livelihoods were buried under thick mountain silt, making it the deadliest disaster for the country in decades. These photographs documented how the people of Nepal are now bearing the consequences of climate-change induced disasters, including people taking shelter on higher ground amid flash flood warning and being displaced by the catastrophe.