KATHMANDU: A devastating flash flood triggered by a glacier collapse has swept through the Nepal-China border area, destroying buildings, roads and vehicles and leaving hundreds of people missing.
The flood struck the Rasuwagadhi-Gyirong border crossing on Aug. 26, with CCTV footage showing a massive surge of mud, water, boulders, ice and rock moving through the valley.
Nepalese immigration records show that 89 Nepali and foreign nationals had completed immigration procedures to leave Nepal for Tibet, while four people had registered to enter Nepal before the disaster. The final recorded immigration transaction took place at 08:35:03 local time.
What happened in the minutes before the flood?
Seismic instruments detected movement in the mountains above the border at about 08:37, less than two minutes after the final immigration transaction. Researchers later attributed the signal to the collapse of part of a glacier that triggered the flood.
China said the resulting mudslide reached the border crossing in about seven minutes.
The area was reportedly crowded that morning, with an estimated 300 to 400 people waiting to travel from Nepal towards Tibet, according to Tika Ram Pokharel, the only surviving senior immigration assistant from the Rasuwagadhi office.
Four immigration employees went missing, including the head of the office, whose body was later recovered downstream.
At least 275 Indians remain missing in Nepal, according to India’s foreign ministry. A group of 77 pilgrims associated with the Isha Foundation and three staff members were also unaccounted for after the flood.
Why is the disaster significant for Nepal-China trade?
Rasuwagadhi is one of Nepal’s two main trading points with China and handles a significant share of bilateral trade. Around 60 to 70 trucks typically passed through the route each day, transporting goods including electronics, machinery, vehicles, fruit and clothing.
The crossing also handled about 80% of Nepal’s electric-vehicle imports from China, according to Posh Raj Pandey of the South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment.
The route had only recently reopened after severe flooding in July 2025 forced its closure for nearly six months. It reopened in January after China constructed a temporary bridge.
The disaster has also increased pressure on Nepal’s alternative northern trade route through Tatopani, which has temporarily been closed because of landslide risks.
The border area is also part of proposed plans for a railway linking Nepal and China as part of a wider trans-Himalayan rail network.
Nepalese officials and experts are now assessing the scale of the destruction and the impact on missing people, border movement and trade.