Glacier-collapse flood, Nepal – August 26th 2026
On 26 August an ice-and-rock avalanche collapsed near the Langtang Lirung glacier on the Nepal–China border, sending a debris-laden flash flood down the Lhende river into both the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli systems — roughly 100 km of border valley. Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading and Sindhupalchok districts were devastated. GDACS rates it “Overall Orange” (event ID 1104124). By 31 August, death-toll estimates ranged from ~730 (GDACS) to over 900 (news reporting), with 3,000–4,200+ missing, including hundreds of foreign nationals; 537 hydropower workers were trapped in tunnels. The Prithvi Highway was severed at Krishnabhir and the Rasuwagadhi–Kerung trade route to China destroyed. India placed Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand on cross-border flood alert.
NEPAL
FLOOD
SEVERE
Heritage Sites within the AOI
View details
This map displays the source location of the 26th of August 2026 glacier collapse on the north face of Langtang Lirung, Rasuwa District, Nepal, the mapped flood and debris-flow extent along the Lhende–Bhote Koshi–Trishuli corridor based on Copernicus EMS (EMSR927) and UNOSAT data, and the distribution of cultural heritage sites across Nepal, compiled from UNESCO World Heritage listings and OpenStreetMap contributions.
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| UNESCO World Heritage sites exposed | 9 |
| OSM Historic and Cultural Sites | 7993 |
| Total potentially exposed heritage sites | 8002 |
Heritage Sites
UNESCO Heritage SItes
OSM Historic and Cultural Sites
Flood Corridor
Heritage Sites Potentially Exposed
View details
This map visualizes the relationship between Nepal’s heritage sites and the Bhote Koshi–Trishuli flood extent. Each site is assigned a flood-exposure value based on its distance to the mapped inundation boundary from Copernicus EMS (EMSR927) and UNOSAT, allowing heritage sites to be categorized according to the level of flood exposure experienced — within the mapped extent, in a proximity buffer, or outside the affected corridor.
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Sites ≤ 5km away from flood corridor | 114 |
| Sites between 5km and 10km away from flood corridor | 97 |
| Sites between 10km and 15km away from flood corridor | 154 |
| Sites between 15km and 20km away from flood corridor | 139 |
| Sites ≥ 20km away from flood corridor | 7498 |
Heritage Exposure by Intensity Gradient
Low
Moderate
High
Very High
Extreme
Landslide focusES : Syapru besi – BIDUR – PhoSREtar
Relative Elevation Model (REM) and heritage-site exposure to flooding.
The REM displays elevation from dark blue to green and lighter tones, with darker areas representing lower elevations and deeper terrain, while lighter areas represent higher elevations. Heritage sites are shown in a graduated red scale according to elevation: darker red indicates lower-elevation sites, which are considered more susceptible to flood exposure, while lighter red indicates higher-elevation sites.
Heritage Exposure by Intensity Gradient
-50m to 0m
0m to 50m
50m to 100m
100m to 150m
150m to 200m
SLOPE MODEL and heritage-site susceptibility to landslides.
The slope model represents the angle of the terrain, with darker cololurs indicating higher slope values and lighter colours indicating lower slope values. Heritage sites are shown in blue to indicate their location in relation to the slope gradient.
0 to 10
10 to 20
20 to 30
30 to 40
40 to 50
50 to 60
Satellite imagery footprints
This map displays the footprints of high-resolution satellite imagery available over the flood-affected areas in Nepal, filtered by Ground Sampling Distance (GSD ≤ 0.5 m) to identify imagery suitable for assessing impacts on buildings and cultural heritage sites. Hovering over a footprint provides information on the imagery provider, resolution, cloud cover, acquisition date, and price.