In Nepal, searches are continuing for two citizens of Kazakhstan following a devastating flood and landslide, who are believed to have been in the disaster zone on the border between Nepal and China.
WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE SEARCH FOR THE KAZAKH WOMEN
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the department is working with local government bodies and is in contact with the relatives of the missing women.
According to preliminary information, one of the Kazakh citizens was travelling as part of a tourist group and had crossed the border from Nepal into China.
WHAT HAPPENED ON THE NEPAL-CHINA BORDER
The catastrophic flood occurred on the morning of 26 August 2026 in a mountainous area on the border between Nepal and China's Tibet region. According to media reports, the cause was the collapse of part of a glacier high in the Himalayas, which sent huge masses of ice, rocks and mud down into the valley below.
The flow blocked the river's course, and after the natural barrier gave way, water and debris surged down the mountain valleys. The disaster destroyed settlements, roads, bridges and other infrastructure. The areas hardest hit were those near the Nepal-China border.
HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE AFFECTED BY THE DISASTER
According to the latest figures from Nepal's police force, 469 people died as a result of the devastating flood. Search and rescue operations are continuing in the affected areas, reports Reuters.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people remain unaccounted for, including foreign tourists. In the disaster zone, there remains a risk of further flooding due to the debris left behind after the glacier collapse and the accumulation of water in mountainous areas.
WHY FOREIGN TOURISTS ARE AMONG THE MISSING
Foreign tourists, climbers and pilgrims were in the affected areas. Many travellers were passing through Nepal en route to Mount Kailash in Tibet.
31 foreigners have so far been evacuated from the disaster zone. To reach the cut-off areas, rescuers, police and the army have deployed helicopters and are continuing search operations.
