The missing in Nepal-Tibet flash floods

The figures are likely to change, which is not uncommon in the chaos after a major disaster.

Here are the latest numbers:

In total: 3,044 missing

Nepal's disaster agency increased the total number of people missing on its side of the border to 2,498 on Sunday, saying there were also 734 confirmed deaths.

The number of missing in Tibet is now at 546, with 16 others dead, China's state broadcaster CCTV reported on Sunday.

Together, the total missing stands at least 3,044.

Nepal's disaster agency said Sunday that 589 foreigners were unaccounted for -- an increase on Friday's figure of 517. It did not update the list by nationality.

Chinese officials said Sunday at least 261 foreign nationals were among those unaccounted for there.

In India, authorities said they had recovered seven bodies from rivers flowing from Nepal, believed to be flood victims. However, at this time they are not included in the toll.

Nepal

Nepal's disaster agency lists 1,909 missing citizens, in a update on Sunday. That includes, in its hardest hit district Rasuwa, with 562 unaccounted for.

Among the missing are 933 people working on hydropower projects, 45 Nepali Army soldiers, 40 police and armed police officers, and 19 customs and immigration officers.

China's CCTV said Sunday that 104 Nepali nationals were missing in Tibet.

China

China's foreign ministry said on Thursday that nearly 100 Chinese nationals were among the missing in Nepal.

The Nepal Tourism Board said eight Chinese were unaccounted for but that 16 had been rescued.

India

India's foreign ministry said on Saturday that 275 citizens were missing, and an additional 128 persons of Indian origin. Around 900 Indian nationals are still on the Chinese side but are safe and contactable.

Chinese state media said Sunday that 49 Indian nationals were missing in Tibet.

United States

Ninety U.S. citizens were missing, the State Department said Thursday, adding that three had been rescued. It said it was not aware of any U.S. fatalities.

The Nepal Tourism Board put the figure at 65 missing on Friday, and two rescued.

Eighteen U.S. citizens were still missing in Tibet, Chinese state media said Sunday.

Ukraine

The Nepal Tourism Board put the number of Ukrainians still missing on Friday at 61.

Ukraine's embassy in Nepal said on Friday it was aware of 62 of its citizens with whom contact had been lost, revising its earlier numbers upwards by six.

Chinese state media said one Ukrainian was missing in Tibet.

Malaysia

The Nepal Tourism Board put the number missing at 51.

Chinese state media said three Malaysians were missing in Tibet.

Australia

The number of Australians missing stood at 42 on Sunday.

United Kingdom

Thirty-three people from the United Kingdom were missing, the Nepal Tourism Board figures showed on Friday.

In Tibet, 15 people from the United Kingdom were missing, Chinese state media said.

Latvia

Twenty-nine Latvians were missing, the Nepal Tourism Board said on Friday.

Chinese state media said 33 Latvians were missing in Tibet.

Canada

The Nepal Tourism Board said 25 Canadians were among the missing on Friday. Canada's foreign ministry put the figure at 30 in both Nepal and Tibet.

Chinese state media said six Canadians were missing in Tibet.

South Korea

The Nepal Tourism Board said Friday that nine South Korean tourists were missing.

South Korea's foreign ministry said Wednesday they had had no news of nine hydropower workers.

Singapore

Nine Singaporeans were unaccounted for, the Nepal Tourism Board said.

Germany

Eight German citizens are missing, according to the Nepal Tourism Board.

Chinese state media said three Germans were missing in Tibet.

Russia

Nine Russians are unaccounted for, while two have been rescued, the Nepal Tourism Board said on Friday.

Three Russians were missing in Tibet, Chinese state media said Sunday.

Other nationalities

South Africa: six (Nepal Tourism Board). Four missing in Tibet. (CCTV)

Japan: five (Nepal Tourism Board)

New Zealand: five (foreign ministry and Nepal Tourism Board). Two missing in Tibet. (CCTV)

France: four (Nepal Tourism Board). Two missing in Tibet. (CCTV)

Spain: three (Spanish foreign ministry). One missing in Tibet. (CCTV)

Belgium: two, and one person rescued (Nepal Tourism Board)

Hungary: three (Hungarian foreign ministry). The Nepal Tourism Board put the figure at one. One missing in Tibet (CCTV)

Portugal: three, with two found safe (Portuguese government). The Nepal Tourism Board said only one Portuguese citizen was missing. One missing in Tibet (CCTV)

Netherlands: two (Nepal Tourism Board). Two missing in Tibet (CCTV)

Italy: three missing (Italian foreign ministry). The Nepal Tourism Board said Friday one was missing, with two rescued

Ireland: two (Nepal Tourism Board). Two missing in Tibet (CCTV)

Kazakhstan: three (Nepal Tourism Board). One missing in Tibet (CCTV)

Belarus: one (Nepal Tourism Board)

Finland: one (Nepal Tourism Board). One missing in Tibet (CCTV)

Israel: one (Nepal Tourism Board)

Lithuania: one (Nepal Tourism Board). One missing in Tibet (CCTV)

Philippines: one (Nepal Tourism Board)

Serbia: one (Nepal Tourism Board)

Switzerland: one, with one person rescued (Nepal Tourism Board)

Sweden: one (Swedish foreign ministry and Nepal Tourism Board)

Vietnam: one (Nepal Tourism Board)

Estonia: Two missing in Tibet (CCTV)

A residential area buried in mud after the flash flood in Nepal on Aug. 29, 2026. Photo courtesy of AP

The disaster, which struck the China-Nepal border Wednesday morning, was caused by a glacial collapse, sending a wall of water and debris downstream, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Chinese rescuers near the Tibet border port that was hit by a deadly mudslide were "moved to a safe location" Sunday, after a new lake was formed by a landslide, state media reported.

Nepali army troops and engineers were working on Sunday to rescue workers believed trapped in a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric site after they successfully inserted a pipe into the passage.

They have "started sending air through the small opening", Nepali Home Minister Sudan Gurung said in a statement.

But efforts were hampered on Sunday by rain and rising river waters, with Nepal's disaster authorities urging rescue teams to "exercise caution".

In an area home to vast energy infrastructure projects, Nepal's disaster authority listed 933 hydropower workers among the missing.

China's state news agency Xinhua reported on Sunday that experts had said "a glacier on the southern slope of Lirung Peak in Nepal" fractured, triggering an ice-rock avalanche.

It said the torrent plummeted rapidly, forming a massive debris flow that traveled more than 20 kilometres before crashing into Gyirong Port.

"The sudden glacial collapse and flash flood is a devastating reminder of how fragile these mountain environments can be," UN climate chief Simon Steill said in a statement.

'Nothing left'

Survivors face an agonising wait to learn the fate of missing relatives and the prospect of rebuilding their lives from nothing.

"All the settlements near the river were swept away," Buddhi Ram Dangol told AFP in Nepal's Nuwakot district.

"There is nothing left."

At an army base serving as a rescue hub in Bidur, relatives crowded around lists of rescued people pasted on a wall.

"I have come here looking for my son," said Kalka Sharda, scanning the list in desperation.

On Sunday Nepal's disaster authority said 589 foreigners, including trekkers and Hindu pilgrims to Tibet's sacred Mount Kailash, were unaccounted for.

The Isha Foundation, led by Indian guru Sadhguru, said in an Instagram post on Saturday that 80 members had been on a group trip in the area.

"At this time, there seems to be no encouraging indications of survivors at the immigration office area," the post said.

'Enormous' trauma

The United States and Canada said they would provide $3.6 million each in humanitarian aid to Nepal.

The U.K. has offered $6.8 million, while the U.N. released $2.5 million in emergency funding.

The European Union on Friday promised $2.3 milllion, while the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said it had allocated more than $1 million and launched an emergency appeal for $31 million.

Nepal's economy is already under pressure, with limited resources to respond to a disaster of this scale and Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal saying the reconstruction bill could run into "billions of dollars".

He appealed for specialised assistance, including heavy-lift drones and technology to help locate people who are trapped.

Khanal also called for forensic testing kits to identify bodies and freezer units to store them, saying bodies that have been in water could decompose at a faster rate.

The deluge of ice and mud caused huge lakes, and one of these formations has become a risk of further floods.

The Chinese and Nepali foreign ministers spoke Saturday and discussed sharing satellite and hydrological data, both sides said.

In Tibet, where Chinese authorities are the only source of information, rescue operations were temporarily paused at the hardest-hit area of Gyirong because of the risk of more flooding from a newly formed lake.

But state broadcaster CCTV said late Saturday that the lake was "discharging naturally" and had been "essentially drained", citing China's ministry of water resources.

A total of 2,141 rescuers were near the Gyirong site, the Xinhua state news agency reported, including the more than 500 in the worst-hit area.