Abroad
Nepal flash floods: 2 S'poreans from tour group among over 500 tourists missing, at least 160 dead
As of the time of writing, the death roll has reportedly risen to 162.
August 27, 2026, 11:43 AM
Photos from @BNOdesk/X and @WeatherMonitors/X.
UPDATE on Aug. 27, 3:30pm: This article has been updated to reflect the latest developments.
A total of nine Singaporeans were reported missing after devastating flash floods swept through Nepal's border region with Tibet on Aug. 26.
In an official situation update posted on Nepal Tourism Board’s website on Aug. 27, the board said a preliminary agency-wise record received from trekking and travel companies had identified 644 travellers reported missing from affected areas.
Nine of those reported missing are Singaporeans.
"The information is being verified and cross-checked with travel agencies, guides, local authorities and security agencies," the board said.
Local authorities are also working to verify the whereabouts and safety of the missing tourists, it added.
"All efforts are under way to rescue/evacuate the injured and stranded people."
Photo from Nepal Tourism Board's website.
Earlier, two Singaporeans were reported to be among 47 people who remain unaccounted for after the flash floods struck the border region.
According to The Straits Times, the managing director of the tour company, Himalayan Glacier, told AFP that the two Singaporeans were travelling with the group when floods struck.
The group comprises 15 Australians, 10 Canadians, nine Nepalese, eight Americans, two Britons, two Singaporeans, and one Russian-American dual citizen. Two of the total 47 people are children.
Flash floods
According to BBC, at least 160 people have died and hundreds remain missing after devastating flash floods swept through Nepal’s northern border region with Tibet on Aug. 26.
As of the time of writing, the death roll has reportedly risen to 162.
In a statement on Aug. 27, 64 bodies were found in downstream areas in the Chitwan district and another 26 in Nawalparasi East, police said.
28 police officers are also among those still unaccounted for.
In a report by CNA, more than 400 foreigners were among 579 tourists reported missing by the authorities in Nepal.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV also reported that the tally of missing in Tibet's Gyirong county was 558, of which 260 are foreign nationals.
It is unclear if the figures of the two nations overlapped.
Video footage
Security camera footage from the Nepal-China border area showed a massive wall of water and debris rushing through the area, with people seen running to escape the surge.
BREAKING: At least 380 people missing after flash flood hits near Nepal-Tibet border pic.twitter.com/iCRpXJaBAe
— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) August 26, 2026
Another video circulating online showed passengers inside a bus as floodwaters swept through the surrounding areas.
@nbcnewsVideo shows passengers in a bus in Nepal left terrified as flash floods swept through the area. Hundreds are missing following the devastating floods, including 2 Americans.♬ original sound - nbcnews
In another video, workers could be seen running uphill as a large wave of flood water approached.
Suspected cause of the floods
According to CNN, shaking in the region was initially reported by the US Geological Survey as a 4.4 magnitude earthquake along the Nepal-China border, north of Kathmandu.
At around the same time, what was described as an "avalanche" of ice and rock tore down a mountainside and into the Lhende Khola River, a tributary of the Bhote Koshi River, which flows from China into Nepal through deep gorges.
While the cause of the Nepal flood wave remains to be determined, a team of international scientists believes a huge chunk of glacier sheared off and fell into the valley below.
