Kathmandu, August 27, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The death toll from the devastating Bhote Koshi floods in Nepal has risen to 270, with bodies continuing to be recovered from several downstream districts, Nepal Police said on Thursday.
The massive flood, which originated in the Tibetan region of China and swept through the transboundary Bhote Koshi River, caused extensive destruction across Nepal, affecting settlements, hydropower projects, customs offices and electricity infrastructure.
According to Nepal Police, Chitwan recorded the highest number of recovered bodies at 108, followed by Nawalparasi East with 62, Dhading with 27 and Rasuwa with 17.
The Nepal government said more than 800 people remained out of contact as authorities continued search and rescue operations.
The disaster has also affected several hydropower projects. The Independent Power Producers’ Association, Nepal (IPPAN), said employees working at multiple projects remained unaccounted for.
As many as 76 employees of Andritz Hydro at the under-construction 216-MW Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project are out of contact. About half are Nepali nationals and the rest are foreign nationals. Eleven employees of Nepal Water and Energy Development Company, the project developer, are also uncontactable, including eight South Korean nationals.
At the 111-MW Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project, 51 people remain out of contact, while eight employees at the powerhouse of the 5-MW Mailung Khola Hydropower Project are also unaccounted for. Two employees of civil contractor Sinohydro working at the 120-MW Rasuwa Bhotekoshi Hydropower Project are missing.
Nepal Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal separately said at least 300 Indian nationals, most of them pilgrims travelling for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, had been reported missing.
Speaking at the NDTV World Anviksha Summit in Kathmandu, Khanal said thousands of people remained untraced after the disaster in the Rasuwa region and that authorities were still assessing the full scale of the devastation.
“Town after town were wiped out within hours,” Khanal said, adding that thousands of families had lost their homes and that authorities were still trying to determine the full extent of the disaster.
He said around 500 foreign nationals in total were currently out of contact and that the Nepal government was coordinating with foreign embassies to establish their safety and whereabouts.
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