25 Canadians among 1,300 missing after catastrophic Nepal-China floods

Twenty-five Canadians are among more than 1,300 people missing after catastrophic flooding tore through communities along the Nepal-China border, where rescue teams continued searching for survivors Thursday (Aug. 27).

The disaster, triggered by a massive glacier collapse in the Himalayas on Wednesday, has now killed at least 273 people across Nepal and China's Tibet region, while hundreds have been displaced, the Associated Press reports.

The Nepal Tourism Board said 25 Canadians are among the missing, alongside hundreds of other foreign nationals, including tourists and pilgrims.

The affected region is popular with trekkers and is also an important route for travellers making pilgrimages to Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar in Tibet.

Bharat Raj Paudyal, Nepal's ambassador to Canada, told CBC News Wednesday that he could not confirm the circumstances surrounding the missing Canadians, but noted that the region draws both hikers and pilgrims.

Global Affairs Canada (GAC) said it was aware of Canadians affected by the disaster and that consular officials were working with local authorities.

As of Aug. 26, there were 820 Canadians registered as being in Nepal and five in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China through the Registration of Canadians Abroad service, according to GAC.

The department stressed that registration is voluntary and the figures do not necessarily represent the actual number of Canadians travelling or living in the region.

Power outages have also complicated efforts to communicate with people on the ground.

Glacier collapse unleashes deadly torrent

The disaster unfolded Wednesday when part of a glacier high in the Himalayas collapsed, sending ice, rock and debris plunging into a mountain river.

Early reports suggested that a magnitude 4.4 earthquake may have triggered the event. However, the U.S. Geological Survey later determined that the seismic activity detected in the area was generated by the glacial collapse and subsequent debris flow, rather than an earthquake.

The collapse sent a powerful surge of mud, rocks and water downstream, wiping out buildings, roads, bridges and other infrastructure along the border region.

In Nepal, helicopters have been deployed to search for survivors and deliver tents, food and medicine to communities cut off by the destruction. More than 5,000 army and police personnel have joined rescue efforts, with 125 people, including 20 foreigners, rescued Thursday, according to officials, reports say.

Across the border in Tibet's Gyirong county, hundreds of people also remain unaccounted for.

Chinese authorities are monitoring a newly formed lake upstream that officials warn could pose an additional flooding threat and further complicate rescue operations.

The disaster has particularly affected foreign visitors. More than 700 foreign nationals are among those reported missing across Nepal and China, according to the latest figures reported Thursday.

Many were travelling through the region on their way to Mount Kailash, a sacred pilgrimage destination for Hindus, Buddhists and followers of other faiths.

“The flash floods along Nepal’s Bhotekoshi River are absolutely devastating,” Prime Minister Mark Carney wrote on social media. “Canadians are thinking of all those in distress right now, those who have lost a loved one, and all those who are still waiting for answers.”

Global Affairs Canada has updated its travel advice for Nepal and China to include information about the flooding and is urging Canadians in the region to register with the Registration of Canadians Abroad service.

Search and rescue operations remain underway, and officials have warned that the death toll could continue to rise as crews reach areas that have been cut off by the flooding.

The tragic event comes just over a year after deadly flooding struck the same Nepal-China border region.

In July 2025, flooding on the Bhote Koshi river killed nine people and left 24 others missing. That event also washed away a "Friendship Bridge" connecting Nepal and China, disrupting cross-border trade and transportation for months.

The Bhote Koshi originates in Tibet and flows into Nepal's Trishuli river, where Wednesday's flash flooding occurred.

Last year's flooding was caused by the draining of a supraglacial lake in Tibet, according to a regional climate monitor.

Search and rescue operations were continuing Wednesday as authorities on both sides of the border assessed the scale of the destruction.

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