Kathmandu, Aug 2026 : As many as 290 Indian nationals remain uncontactable following the devastating floods and landslides in Nepal, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday, as rescue and search operations continued across several badly affected districts.
The floods, triggered by an avalanche and subsequent surge in the Bhote Koshi river system, have caused extensive destruction in Nepal, particularly in the districts of Rasuwa and Nuwakot. Roads, bridges, settlements and hydropower infrastructure have suffered major damage, complicating efforts to locate those still missing.
The MEA said that 63 Indian workers associated with the Trishuli-I hydropower project in Rasuwa district were among those affected. The group also includes 21 people from Tamil Nadu who had travelled to the region as part of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
The Indian authorities have released details of several nationals who have been rescued following the floods. The list includes Sumit Kumar Khare, Mukesh Kumar, Sachin Kumar, Jashmant Singh, Chandan Tiwari, Devan Kumar Shah, Amrendra Kumar Yadav, Om Prakash Yadav, Sampat Kumar, Neeraj Kumar Thakur, Jay Hansda, Sunil Kumar Singh, Upendra Barnmal, Rahul Kumar Gupta, Neeraj Kumar Patel, Sanover Alam, Upendra Bhasin, Yogesh Kumar, Md Akram Alam, Md Inzamamul Haque, Abhishek Kumar, Abhishek Yadav, Mangal Singh, Pankaj Kumar Shah, Nilesh Kumar Shah, Ashutosh Mankopadhyay, Lakshman Tiwari and Ganguli Patel.
Other rescued Indians identified by the authorities include Indrajeet Kumar, Gyan Singh, Jay Krishna, Shahrukh, Nipindra Mandal, Saddam Hussain, Raj Kumar Tiwari, Alok Kumar Shah, Arun Kumar Shah, Satyendra Kumar Singh, Bittu Kumar, Adi Abed Basumatary, KK Pandey, Abhishek Tiwari, Akash, Pradeep, Ranjan Kumar, Pavan Lodhi, Anil, Vijay Prasad, Narayan Bahadur, Janmejay Singh, Sunil Giri, Roshan Kumar, Vishamer Singh, Suhail Mustafa, Nilesh, Pramod Gupta, Jitendar Ram, Nitesh Kumar Singh, Nijauadin, Kavi Kumar and Rohit Verma.
The scale of the disaster has affected nationals from several countries. According to Nepal Police, 644 people were reported missing by Thursday afternoon, including 517 foreign nationals. Authorities have continued efforts to establish contact with those whose whereabouts remain unknown and to identify people who may have been stranded in remote or inaccessible areas.
The United States has also reported that its nationals may have been affected. The US State Department said it was aware of around 90 Americans who could have been caught up in the floods. Three US citizens have been safely rescued, while no American deaths had been reported at the time of the statement.
China has also been significantly affected by the disaster. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said that nearly 100 Chinese nationals remained missing on the Nepalese side following Wednesday's mudslide.
Nepal Police said 127 Nepali nationals were also missing. Among other foreign nationals listed as missing were 53 Ukrainians, 51 Malaysians, 35 Australians, 33 Britons and 25 Canadians.
The list further includes nine Singaporeans, eight Russians, eight Germans, six Latvians, six South Africans, five Japanese, five New Zealanders, four French nationals, three Belgians and three Spaniards. Nationals from several other countries, including the Netherlands, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Ireland, Italy, the Philippines, Finland, Belarus, Sweden, Serbia, Switzerland, Israel, Lithuania and Bulgaria, were also reported missing.
The floods have caused widespread destruction along the Bhote Koshi and downstream river systems. Several settlements have been inundated, while roads and bridges have been damaged, cutting off access to affected areas. Hydropower projects and other critical infrastructure have also suffered extensive damage.
Rescue teams are facing difficult terrain and unstable conditions as they continue searching for missing people. Authorities are working to recover those believed to have been swept away by the powerful currents or buried beneath mud and debris.
Meanwhile, Nepalese authorities said 389 bodies had been recovered from areas affected by the floods. Chitwan recorded the highest number of recovered bodies at 137, followed by Nawalparasi East with 87 and Dhading with 33.
With hundreds of people still unaccounted for, search and rescue operations remain the immediate priority. Indian authorities are coordinating with Nepalese officials and other agencies to establish the whereabouts of Indian nationals, while families continue to await information about their loved ones.
The latest developments have underlined the severity of the disaster and the challenges faced by rescue agencies as they work to reach remote locations and account for nationals from India and several other countries.
