NEPAL · AUGUST 2026 FLOOD

Nepal floods. A closer look at the destruction.

NepalRasuwa, north of Kathmandu
River corridorA · Rasuwagadhi.                             B · Syabrubesi
Satellite river map with red A for Rasuwagadhi and B for SyabrubesiAB
A RasuwagadhiBefore: Mapbox · After: 1 Sep, Pelican
B SyabrubesiBefore: 27 May · After: 26 Aug, PlanetScope

26 AUGUST 2026

What happened

An avalanche triggered a massive flood on the China-Nepal border, through Rasuwagadhi and Syabrubesi, then down the Bhote Koshi–Trishuli corridor. Settlements, roads and hydropower facilities lay in its angry path. BWSN assessment ↗

  1. 26 AUG · MORNING

    The surge strikes the border corridor; markets, police facilities and riverside settlements are hit. Red Cross ↗

  2. 28 AUG

    An alternative road into Rasuwa restores limited surface access. Situation update ↗

  3. 1 SEP

    Planet’s Pelican image captures the border crossing after the flood. Imagery ↗

REPORTED IMPACT · NEPAL

The scale of the loss

As of 9 September 2026, 19:00 · preliminary

Deaths reported
1,369
Roads destroyed
41–55 km
Agricultural land damaged
1,806 ha
Estimated damage and losses
≈ US$2.6bn
Reconstruction & rehabilitation
US$4–5bn

Financial estimates are preliminary and Nepal-wide: damage estimate reported 8 September ↗; Finance Minister’s rebuilding estimate, 30 August ↗. The detailed reconstruction needs further assessment.

NDRRMA figures reported in BWSN’s 9 September update ↗. These cover the wider disaster in Nepal. “Out of contact” is not counted as a death.

Map labels are projected from OpenStreetMap coordinates onto the satellite crops. 
Rasuwagadhi before imagery © Mapbox. All other imagery © Planet Labs PBC · Source dataset · CC BY-NC 4.0. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, retrieved 10 September 2026.

Gyirong Port · immigration hall

26 August · 08:44 NPT

TRIGGER WARNING

Fixed CCTV camera, facing south-southwest. Camera position: high confidence.

Gyirong Port · bus parking

26 August · 08:44 NPT

TRIGGER WARNING

Same camera mast as the hall view, facing west-northwest. Camera position: high confidence.

Syabrubesi · “Run!”

26 August · approximately 08:46 NPT

TRIGGER WARNING

Hillside above the bazaar. Approximate filming position: ±150 m. Footage carried by CNN.

Syabrubesi · surge at the confluence

26 August · approximately 08:45–08:52 NPT

TRIGGER WARNING

Hillside view of the river junction. Approximate filming position: ±250 m. Social-media footage; original creator unknown.