Death toll nears 800 after Himalayan glacier collapse
Al Jazeera
β’Sun, 30 Aug 2026 17:00:45 +0000
π° What Happened
At least 797 people have been killed and 3,048 remain missing after a glacier collapsed in the Himalayas, sending water and debris tearing through several villages. Nepal's updated toll stands at 781 dead and 2,502 missing, including 592 foreign nationals, while China's CCTV reported 16 deaths and 546 missing in Tibet, 261 of them foreigners. The glacier, at roughly 5,200 metres, collapsed on Wednesday, plunging about 1,200 metres before slamming into the Lende River.
π The Backstory
The collapse created a lake across the Nepal-China border that has begun overflowing into Nepal's Lhende and Trishuli rivers, and more than 100 workers are believed to be trapped inside hydropower tunnels. Rescue operations have been suspended repeatedly since Friday because of poor weather and fears of fresh flooding, and authorities in Nepal began burying victims after taking DNA samples for future identification.
π― Why It Matters
This is one of the region's worst glacier-related disasters on record and a stark example of the growing risks posed by unstable mountain glaciers. With foreigners among the missing and hundreds of families awaiting news, it is also a test of cross-border disaster response between Nepal and China.
At least 797 people have been killed and 3,048 remain missing after a glacier collapsed in the Himalayas, sending water and debris tearing through several villages. Nepal's updated toll stands at 781 dead and 2,502 missing, including 592 foreign nationals, while China's CCTV reported 16 deaths and 546 missing in Tibet, 261 of them foreigners. The glacier, at roughly 5,200 metres, collapsed on Wednesday, plunging about 1,200 metres before slamming into the Lende River.
The collapse created a lake across the Nepal-China border that has begun overflowing into Nepal's Lhende and Trishuli rivers, and more than 100 workers are believed to be trapped inside hydropower tunnels. Rescue operations have been suspended repeatedly since Friday because of poor weather and fears of fresh flooding, and authorities in Nepal began burying victims after taking DNA samples for future identification.
This is one of the region's worst glacier-related disasters on record and a stark example of the growing risks posed by unstable mountain glaciers. With foreigners among the missing and hundreds of families awaiting news, it is also a test of cross-border disaster response between Nepal and China.