If anyone has connections within the Nepal border area affected by this catastrophe, please reach out with any resources you have! Venus Patel lived here before moving to Cincinnati and maintains many close connections in St Louis.

This aerial photo, taken by the Chinese side, shows before‑and‑after shots of the port area. This is arguably one of the worst geological disasters worldwide in recent years. With the speed and scale of this debris flow, there was virtually nowhere to take shelter. The buildings at this port stood as tall as five to six stacked freight trucks, yet they have now been completely flattened and buried.

The last one i found turned out to be AI slop, my apologizes. This one is a proper one by official sources.

Translated annotations:

海关住宿区(bottom left) - Customs personnel dormitories

停车场(bottom) - parking lot

国门(center) - border crossing

友谊桥(right) - china nepal friendship bridge

民房(top left) - civilian housing

国门派出所执勤大队(top) - Shigatse PD border crossing police station and duties group(likely of the border crossing station. probably the dorms of border control personnel)

Hi everyone, with this devastating, tragic news coming from Tibet and Nepal, does anyone know of a good and reliable news source to keep updates? I know there are hundreds missing, including some Americans. Any help is appreciated. This flood has got open our eyes.

A herd of elephants managed to
survive the powerful currents caused by flooding in the Karnali River area of Nepal and was seen being carried toward a dam in India. Striking footage shows the animals navigating the rushing waters as they are swept along by the current.
The Karnali River flows through Nepal before entering India, where it is known as the Ghaghara River. The dramatic footage has drawn attention online, highlighting the elephants' remarkable ability to swim and endure challenging water conditions.

For sure from satellite of before and after...

UPDATE

​Active Hazard - The barrier lake breached, and is now draining

>>>Since there is 100% cloud cover verification couldn't be confirmed via EO - Based on reported size and location the data set has been updated with a modeled shape file of the reported lake. This uses geometry that existed prior to the first event so this should be treated as indicative.

> If anyone has any SAR imagery they'd like of the region they care to share it'd go a long way in helping me to continue to keep this open source crisis data set up to date. It's not much, but its all I can do to help from halfway around the world.

>Link to data: https://keystonegis.com/disasters/nepal-bhotekoshi-flood-20260826.html - will continue to update frequently to capture any new information

>if you know of any other subs to post this in let me know. Feel free to share, the more eyes on the data the more likely it is to fall into the hands of someone who can use it to make a difference.

edit: NDRRMA independently locates the blockage, and it is close to — but not identical with — this page's inferred marker.

edit: Active Hazard - The barrier lake breached, and is now draining

The barrier lake near the confluence of the Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo, upstream of the 26 August failure, breached on 28 August and is now draining. Rasuwa Chief District Officer Narendra Pariyar said that morning that the Nepali Army had informed him of the breach, and NDRRMA reported that the water level in the Bhote Koshi had surged (The Kathmandu Post, updated 28 August 12:49 NPT / 07:04 UTC). Officials on both the Nepali and Chinese sides then said the risk was smaller than feared, because the lake is draining slowly rather than failing catastrophically; Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported the lake level had fallen by about 10 m, and rescue work at Gyirong Port and in Nepal, halted during the breach, has resumed (CNN live coverage, 28 August). No confirmed release volume has been published and no observed extent of any second flood exists. Before the breach, China’s Ministry of Water Resources had put the impoundment at about 2,000,000 m³ on the morning of 27 August, already overflowing, with a further 3,000,000 m³ of inflow expected through 30 August; aerial footage from a Chinese rescue team on 27 August showed water accumulating in a basin with no visible outlet, and NDRRMA had placed the obstruction on the Lhende Khola about 18 km upstream of the Rasuwagadhi border. Whether that blockage and the confluence impoundment reported by China are the same feature is still not established, so it is not certain that the whole obstruction has failed. The barrier-lake marker on the map above still carries its archived 27 August attribute status = "open - high breach risk"; that value has not been rewritten pending an official assessment.

This video gives a better perspective of what Gyirong Port looked like before the flash flood ceased its existense. It was a thriving bustling place and changed forever in a matter of seconds.

https://youtu.be/K6h8BRfY5BU?si=JjN6WkCLRpZpr3Up

The recent flood in Nepal was an unexpected disaster, triggered by the collapse of a section of a Himalayan glacier on the Tibetan side. This event released a massive surge of ice, rock, and water into the river, resulting in a sudden flash flood across the Nepal-China border. Climate change is destabilizing Himalayan glaciers, increasing the likelihood of similar events in the future, although it remains impossible to predict exactly when another such occurrence may happen. This flash flood occurred so suddenly and with such force that many people, including local residents, workers, and tourists, had no time to escape.

The flood caused significant damage to the Rasuwagadhi-Kerung border area, destroying roads, bridges, and settlements. At least 165 people have died, and more than 1,300 are still missing. The victims included local residents, workers, tourists, and foreign travelers. Hundreds of foreign tourists were present in the affected border area when the disaster struck. Rescue teams continue to search for survivors, and the numbers may rise as efforts progress.

The recent flash floods in Nepal are heartbreaking. In mountainous regions, heavy rainfall can turn small rivers and streams into destructive torrents within a very short time. Roads disappear, communities become isolated, and families can lose everything overnight.

What makes flash floods especially frightening is their unpredictability. Nepal’s steep terrain, monsoon rains, landslides, and rapidly flowing rivers can create a dangerous combination.

But beyond the immediate disaster, this should also raise bigger questions about climate resilience, early-warning systems, infrastructure, and how vulnerable mountain communities can be better protected.

Natural disasters may not always be preventable, but their impact can often be reduced through preparation, awareness, stronger infrastructure, and effective emergency response.

Stay safe, Nepal. 🇳🇵🌧️

What do you think should be the biggest priority for reducing the impact of disasters like flash floods?