Philip Prince, geologist at the Virginia Tech Department of Geosciences , joins FOX Weather to break down what we know about the landslide event in Nepal, which left hundreds dead and dozens of Americans missing on Wednesday.
THE TAKEAWAY
- At least 977 people have been reported missing, including 90 Americans.
- Nepal Police say 553 bodies have been recovered.
- USGS determined a glacial collapse triggered a massive debris flow.
RASUWA, Nepal – Hundreds of people are missing, including at least 90 American tourists, according to the U.S. State Department, after a destructive glacial collapse triggered catastrophic flash flooding that devastated the Rasuwa District in the Himalayan Region of Nepal on Wednesday.
According to Nepal Police, the death toll there has risen to 553, with the disaster management authority saying 977 people are still missing.
Houses lie partially submerged in muddy water along a riverside after flash floods at Trishuli Bazar in Nepal’s Nuwakot district on August 26, 2026. A massive flood swept through Nepal’s northern Rasuwa district on August 26, damaging roads and power infrastructure as authorities scrambled to assess the scale of the destruction.
(Photo by Prabin RANABHAT / AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The U.S. State Department says three Americans have been rescued, with the Nepal Tourism Board reporting that two of those individuals are 52-year-old Anjana Raja and 55-year-old Pattabiraman Venkatesan.
At approximately 8:30 a.m. local time Wednesday (around 10:45 p.m. ET Tuesday), catastrophic flash flooding swept through the Bhote Koshi River, destroyed buildings and damaged roads, bridges, electricity infrastructure and communications.
The flood entered Nepal from Tibet and struck Rasuwagadhi, Timure, Syafrubesi and surrounding areas of Rasuwa District, the U.S. Department of State said.
Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said, “An initial study based on the analysis of satellite images by Planet Labs indicates that a glacier-inclusive flood occurred in the Lhende River due to a snow-rock landslide that took place on the Nepal-China border approximately 20 kilometers northeast of the Nepal-China Rasuwagadhi border crossing.”
A destructive flash flood swept through the Rasuwa area of Nepal on Wednesday. There are several reported deaths in the area with hundreds missing, including Americans.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post on X, “We express our solidarity and are united in prayer for the Nepali people following the devastating floods,” adding that the State Department stands ready to support Nepal’s government with needed humanitarian assistance.
In a press release, the NTB said, “Nepal Tourism Board, Tourist Police and tourism stakeholders are working to verify the whereabouts and safety status of tourists and travelers who were in or traveling through the affected areas.”
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), there was an initial report of a magnitude 4.4 earthquake. However, that has since been changed.
“Additional analysis of long period seismic waves indicate that the seismic energy was instead generated by a landslide,” the USGS said. “The shaking caused by the landslide was equal to a magnitude 5.2 earthquake.”
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) determined that the seismic event was a glacial collapse and debris flow that caused subsequent catastrophic impacts downstream.
The United States is delivering a range of supplies requested by the Government of Nepal and is working with Nepal to ensure that assistance reaches the people who need it.
Today, Chargé d’Affaires Scott Urbom sent the first shipment of emergency supplies from the United… pic.twitter.com/pAK7m8hqpL
— U.S. Embassy Nepal (@USEmbassyNepal) August 28, 2026
The U.S. Embassy in Nepal has said that they are working to account for U.S. citizens who may have been affected by the Rasuwa flooding.
Stay with FOX Weather as this story continues to develop.
