Nepal-Tibet floods: Death toll rises to 543 as 1,400 remain missing

This screen grab picture from UGC handout video courtesy Nepal's Prime Minister Secretariat taken and released on August 28, 2026 shows the Nepali Army rescuing people trapped inside a tunnel at a hydropower project following a flash flood in Nepal's Rasuwa district.

Devastating floods on the Nepal-Tibet border region this week have killed at least 538 people, Nepal's disaster authority said Friday.

Chinese state media earlier confirmed five dead following Wednesday's disaster, taking the total killed to at least 543.

More than 1,400 people are missing, including hundreds of foreigners .

Indians make up the largest number of missing foreigners, while the United States said 90 of its citizens were out of contact.

The US Geological Survey said the disaster -- the deadliest for Nepal since a 2015 earthquake -- was caused by a glacial collapse that triggered a vast flow of icy debris.

On Friday rescuers in Tibet reached the main area wiped out by the devastating mudslide.

"At approximately 4:30 pm (0830 GMT) on 28 August, six members of the first response team from the Fire and Rescue Corps of Tibet and 15 members and one dog from the first response team of the Fire and Rescue Corps of Sichuan arrived at the border area... They are the first professional teams to reach the core rescue site," state news agency Xinhua reported.