The death toll from the August 26 flash flood has risen to 1,388, with 5,130 people still missing. Security forces are continuing search and rescue operations, recently retrieving several bodies from a hydropower project tunnel, though hopes remain of finding survivors inside. Authorities have noted the need to establish a firm timeline for wrapping up search and rescue efforts, emphasizing the urgency of restoring connectivity to isolated settlements. Meanwhile, local residents are demanding swift debris removal.
The Prithvi Highway has partially reopened, allowing several cooking gas bullets stuck along the route to proceed toward Kathmandu and offering hope for relief from the capital's cooking gas shortage. Authorities report that work is underway to clear the landslide at Krishnabhir to restore two-way vehicular traffic.
To support affected residents, the Nepal government has directed District Administration Offices in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Tanahun, and Gorkha to distribute relief funds. Households with up to four members will receive 15,000 rupees per month, with an additional 2,000 rupees per month for each extra family member.
Nepal’s Centre for Hydrology and Water Resources Research has released a study detailing the causes of the disaster. The report indicates that a magnitude 5.2 (Ms) seismic event recorded at 08:37 Nepal Standard Time (28.271°N, 85.515°E) was associated with the movement and failure of a massive ice-rock avalanche (USGS, 2026). Because no rainfall was recorded near the slope failure or source area at the time, experts concluded the catastrophic flood was triggered by a cascading ice-rock avalanche and subsequent debris displacement, rather than rainfall-induced runoff.
The event was marked by exceptionally rapid flood-wave propagation and an extremely short warning window. Preliminary data shows the flood wave traveled roughly 20 km from the upper source area to the Rasuwagadhi border in just 7 to 8 minutes. Technical analysis highlights the severe limitations of standard rainfall-based forecasting for sudden high-mountain outburst events. The surge also destroyed several hydrological monitoring stations and related infrastructure along the river corridor, further cutting off real-time data.
In the aftermath, two temporary natural barrier lakes formed along the upper Lhende Khola, creating a risk of secondary outburst floods. The lower lake (Lake 1) sits near the confluence of the Lhende Khola and Lirung Khola, roughly 15 km from Rasuwagadhi, while the upper lake (Lake 2) formed near the glacier collapse site, about 21 km from the border. Both lakes represent significant secondary hazards should their natural dams fail.
KAMAL DEV BHATTARAI\ KATHMANDU
