Death toll reaches 1,357 in Nepal as army estimates 121 workers remain trapped in hydropower tunnels
Rescuers focus on three hydropower projects while public anger mounts over delays in searching for missing workers nearly two weeks after the disaster.
Quick summary
Nepal's disaster authority reports 1,357 bodies recovered and 5,326 people missing as of Sept. 8, nearly two weeks after the Aug. 26 glacier-collapse flood. The Nepali Army estimates 121 people remain trapped inside tunnels at various hydropower projects in Rasuwa, and army-led teams are concentrating search efforts on three hydropower project tunnels. Four people have been rescued alive in the last five days, including a Chinese national pulled from a tunnel at the Upper Trishuli 1 Hydropower Project on Saturday and a 64-year-old woman from Betrawati. China has confirmed 43 deaths and 519 missing on its side of the border, bringing the combined death toll to at least 1,400 with more than 5,800 missing across both countries.
Key points
- Nepal's disaster authority reports 1,357 deaths and 5,326 missing as of Sept. 8, with China reporting 43 deaths and 519 missing.
- The Nepali Army estimates 121 people remain trapped in hydropower tunnels in Rasuwa.
- Four people have been rescued alive in the last five days, including a Chinese national on Saturday.
- Public anger is mounting over delays in searching for missing hydropower workers.
- Army-led teams are focusing on three hydropower project tunnels where workers are believed trapped.
How it unfolded
- New
Flood begins
A glacier collapse and ice-rock avalanche trigger a major surge through the Bhotekoshi river system.
- New
Infrastructure hit
Roads, hydropower plants and transmission facilities suffer major damage.
- ChangedContested
Reported casualty numbers rise sharply
Figures moved from 8 to more than 350 within 24 hours as information reached authorities from areas cut off by communication outages.
- Changed
Cause clarified
Reporting identifies a glacial flood mechanism, and early seismic signals are attributed to the landslide rather than a tectonic earthquake.
- New
More than 1,300 people reported missing
The scale of the missing-person count prompts international rescue efforts.
- New
Warning of a second flood
Authorities warn that a landslide-created lake combined with further rainfall could produce a secondary disaster.
- New
Rescue race
Reports that 933 hydropower workers are missing shift international attention toward the flooded tunnels.
- New
Search continues
Rescuers drill into hydropower tunnels as hopes of finding survivors become a central focus of coverage.
- ChangedContested
Reported missing count rises to 4,793
Up from roughly 1,300 five days earlier.
- New
Close to 300 workers rescued from tunnels
Rescue teams from China, India and Nepal use excavators and temporary bridges to reach trapped workers.
- New
Electricity restored
Power has been restored nearly a week after the floods.
- New
Death toll crosses 1,000
The Associated Press reports more than 1,000 deaths across Nepal and China.
- New
Official says trapped workers may be alive
A Nepal Electricity Authority official states there is a high chance workers trapped in Rasuwagadhi hydropower plant chambers have survived.
- New
U.S. rescue teams join effort
Specialized rescue teams from the United States are now involved alongside Chinese, Indian and Nepali crews.
- New
Economic toll quantified
Mongabay reports 281 MW of installed capacity wiped out or badly damaged, 388 MW under construction damaged, with losses estimated in the hundreds of billions of Nepali rupees.
- New
Death toll surpasses 1,200
Multiple outlets report the death toll has exceeded 1,200, making this Nepal's deadliest natural disaster since the 2015 earthquake.
- Changed
Authorities 'very confident' 46 workers may be alive
Nepal Electricity Authority officials say they are 'very confident' about 46 workers trapped in an underground room at Rasuwagadhi have access to food and water, refining earlier statements about trapped workers' chances of survival.
- New
Rescuers advance 250 meters into Rasuwagadhi tunnel
Teams have progressed 250 meters into a tunnel at Rasuwagadhi before encountering a blockage, continuing efforts to reach the underground chamber.
- New
At least eight workers may be trapped at Chilime project
Nepal's Independent Power Producers' Association reports at least eight people may be trapped at the Chilime hydropower project.
- New
Two workers rescued alive from tunnel
Described as a "miracle" rescue nine days after the flood began.
- New
Death toll rises to 1,294 in Nepal
Nepal's disaster agency reports 1,294 bodies recovered and 5,053 people missing as of Sept. 5.
- New
Overall death toll crosses 1,290
Multiple outlets report more than 1,290 or 1,300 dead across Nepal and China combined.
- Changed
Rasuwagadhi reports 93 workers missing
Company secretary says 93 people are unaccounted for; searches of the powerhouse found no one inside, and the company now estimates between four and 14 may have been trapped inside the powerhouse.
- New
Nepal Electricity Authority confirms 431 MW knocked out
Six major hydropower and transmission facilities were damaged, including Rasuwagadhi, Chilime and Trishuli 3A.
- New
Search for Rasuwagadhi workers expands beyond powerhouse
Searches extended to nearby forests and difficult mountain terrain after no one was found inside the powerhouse.
- Changed
Death toll rises to 1,357 in Nepal
Nepal's disaster authority updates the count from 1,294 on Sept. 5 to 1,357 bodies recovered as of Sept. 8, with 5,326 missing.
- New
China reports 43 deaths and 519 missing
China's official tally brings the combined death toll across both countries to at least 1,400 with more than 5,800 missing.
- New
Army estimates 121 workers trapped in hydropower tunnels
The Nepali Army provides a specific estimate of people trapped inside tunnels at various hydropower projects in Rasuwa.
- New
Four rescued alive in last five days
Including a Chinese national rescued from an audit tunnel at Upper Trishuli 1 on Saturday and a 64-year-old woman from Betrawati.
- New
Public anger mounts over search delays
Families and local communities express concern about the pace and prioritization of tunnel rescue operations.
Claim tracker
26 confirmed · 5 contested · 10 unverified
- Confirmed
A glacial collapse triggered the flood.
- Confirmed
Hundreds have died and thousands remain missing.
- Confirmed
Major hydropower and transmission infrastructure was damaged.
- Confirmed
Close to 300 workers have been rescued from hydropower tunnels.
- Confirmed
Electricity has been restored nearly a week after the floods.
- Confirmed
U.S. rescue teams are involved in the search effort.
- Confirmed
The death toll has exceeded 1,200.
- Confirmed
This is Nepal's deadliest natural disaster since the 2015 earthquake.
- Confirmed
Two workers were rescued alive from a hydropower tunnel nine days after the flood.
- Confirmed
Nepal's disaster agency reported 1,294 bodies recovered and 5,053 people missing as of Sept. 5.
- Confirmed
The overall death toll across Nepal and China has exceeded 1,290.
- Confirmed
93 workers from the Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project are missing.
- Confirmed
Between four and 14 people may have been trapped inside the Rasuwagadhi powerhouse.
- Confirmed
Searches of the Rasuwagadhi powerhouse found no one inside.
- Confirmed
Six major hydropower and transmission facilities were damaged, knocking out an estimated 431 megawatts of capacity.
- Confirmed
Debris from the glacier collapse travelled approximately 20 kilometers and dropped 1,700 meters at Rasuwagadhi in seven minutes.
- Confirmed
Seven workers at the Rasuwagadhi project site have been rescued.
- Confirmed
Nepal's disaster authority reports 1,357 bodies recovered and 5,326 people missing as of Sept. 8.
- Confirmed
China has confirmed 43 deaths and 519 missing on its side of the border.
- Confirmed
The combined death toll across Nepal and China is at least 1,400.
- Confirmed
More than 5,800 people are missing across Nepal and China.
- Confirmed
The Nepali Army estimates 121 people remain trapped inside tunnels at hydropower projects in Rasuwa.
- Confirmed
Four people have been rescued alive in the last five days.
- Confirmed
A Chinese national was rescued from an audit tunnel at Upper Trishuli 1 Hydropower Project on Saturday.
- Confirmed
A 64-year-old woman was rescued from Betrawati in Nuwakot.
- Confirmed
Army-led teams are focusing on three hydropower project tunnels.
- Contested
Missing-person totals vary significantly between outlets.
- Contested
The number of missing American citizens is as reported.
- Contested
There is a high chance that workers trapped in Rasuwagadhi hydropower plant chambers may still be alive.
- Contested
About 46 workers are trapped in an underground room at Rasuwagadhi hydropower plant.
- Contested
587 foreigners are among the missing.
One outlet reports 587 foreigners missing while another reports about 800 foreigners missing.
- Unverified
Thermal drones detected no signs of life inside the hydropower tunnels.
- Unverified
Casualties and conditions on the Tibet side of the border are as reported.
- Unverified
639 people remain trapped in several hydropower stations.
- Unverified
About 500 workers are believed to be trapped inside hydropower tunnels.
- Unverified
281 MW of installed hydropower capacity was wiped out or badly damaged.
- Unverified
388 MW of hydropower capacity under construction was damaged.
- Unverified
Rescuers have advanced 250 meters into a tunnel at Rasuwagadhi before encountering a blockage.
- Unverified
At least eight people may be trapped at the Chilime hydropower project.
- Unverified
More than 630 workers at hydroelectric plants in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts remain trapped as of September 3.
- Unverified
592 foreign nationals and 164 Nepalis accompanying foreign tour groups are among the missing.
What we still don't know
- The identity and location of the three hydropower projects where army-led teams are focusing tunnel search efforts.
- The fate of the 121 workers the army estimates remain trapped in hydropower tunnels.
- Whether the 93 missing Rasuwagadhi workers are included in the army's estimate of 121 trapped workers.
- The precise breakdown of the missing count between hydropower workers and other victims.
- Whether any workers remain trapped at the Chilime hydropower project.
- The final death toll and total number of missing.
- How many of the missing are foreign nationals.
- Whether hydropower projects will be reassessed in light of environmental risks and economic losses.
- How much the failure of early-warning systems contributed to the disaster.
Nepal floods, August 2026
- Death toll reaches 469 as second flood warning continues
- Nepal flood death toll passes 900 as search focuses on hydropower tunnels
- Death toll surpasses 1,000 as rescue efforts continue for trapped hydropower workers
- Nearly 300 workers rescued from flooded hydropower tunnels, 639 still trapped
- Death toll exceeds 1,000 as officials say trapped workers may still be alive
- Death toll rises past 1,200 as rescuers focus on underground chamber where 46 workers may survive
- Two workers rescued alive from tunnel nine days after flood; 93 Rasuwagadhi workers now missing
- Death toll reaches 1,367 in Nepal as rescue teams focus on Trishuli 3A, 3B and Chilime tunnels
- Missing count revised upward to 5,651 as fresh air detected in hydropower tunnels
- Death toll rises to at least 1,385 as rescue focus narrows to three hydropower tunnels
- Nepal death toll rises to 1,385 as U.S. commits additional $1 million for victim identification
- Death toll reaches 1,428 as Nepal estimates $7 billion reconstruction cost
- Nepal revises reconstruction cost to $4.78 billion; India to supply 654 MW to replace flood-damaged hydropower
- Death toll rises to 1,399; India begins 654 MW daily power supply as rescue teams near final stage at Chilime tunnel
- Search operations halted at 10 of 13 damaged hydropower projects as 868 workers remain missing
- Death toll rises to 1,410 in Nepal as missing count jumps to 6,150
- Rescuers recover 11 bodies from Upper Trishuli-1 tunnel; total dead reaches 1,414
- Death toll rises to 1,436 as hydropower tunnels yield 24 bodies in single week
Sources analysed
8 outlets in the analysed roster.
- Reuters — EXCLUSIVE: How two men survived nine days in a Nepal flood tunnel
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Nepal — Daily Situation Update on Bhote Koshi River Floods- 08 September
- Jamaica Observer (AFP) — Nepal flood death toll rises as rescuers scour tunnels
- Namibia Press Agency (AFP) — Nepal flood death toll rises as rescuers scour tunnels
- The Independent — Fury in Nepal amid delays in search for missing workers after catastrophic floods
- The Japan Times — Nepali rescuers focus on hydropower workers in wake of catastrophic border floods
- Bhaskar English — Rescue Operations Continue in Hydropower Tunnels
- Daily Finland — 64-year-old woman rescued 10 days after floods in Nepal