Dharamshala — His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the Spiritual leader of Tibet, expressed his condolences over devastating floods along the Tibet and Nepal Border. The massive floods in Nepal and Tibet has claimed at least 335 people, while more than 1,400 individuals remain missing as now and destroyed homes, villages, roads, and bridges. His Holiness wrote,"I pray for all those who have lost their lives, and offer my sympathy and heartfelt condolences to the bereaved and to all those affected by this tragedy."
His Holiness the Dalai Lama wrote on August 27, 2026, “I am saddened to learn of the devastating floods in the Rasuwa region of Nepal and Kyirong in Tibet, resulting in loss of life and heavy structural damage. I pray for all those who have lost their lives, and offer my sympathy and heartfelt condolences to the bereaved and to all those affected by this tragedy.
“Since this region has seen calamities in the past as well, these are certainly symptoms of a deeper underlying cause — whether climate change or other factors. I hope that appropriate follow-up measures will be taken, wherever possible, to help ensure that such disasters do not recur,” His Holiness concluded with prayers.
The devastating flood and mudslide occurred suddenly, without warning in Kyirong County and Rasuwa District, on August 26, 2026. They originated in the Bhote Koshi River, which rises near Kyirong in the Shigatse region of Tibet, and reached Kyirong County and Rasuwa District in Bagmati Province, Nepal. These widespread floods have claimed at least 335 lives, while more than 1,400 people are still missing; it also destroyed homes, villages, roads, and bridges.
The first wave severely affected the port of Kyirong before sweeping through the Nepalese district of Rasuwa. Mountain villages such as Timure and Syapru Besi were completely devastated. Since this region is very popular with hikers and pilgrims, hundreds of those reported missing are foreign nationals. In particular, there are numerous reports of missing persons among Indian (178), American (65), China (100), Malaysia (51) Australian (34), British (33), Canada (24) and Ukrainian (53) citizens. According to the latest figures released by the Nepal Tourism Board and regional authorities, at least 777 tourists (including 517 foreign nationals and 260 people en route to Tibet) are missing in the disaster-stricken area.
At least 19 major bridges have been swept away, and several sites of large hydroelectric projects located along rivers have been completely destroyed and flooded. Due to the disruption of power grids and the total destruction of communication lines, authorities estimate that it will take several more days to identify and confirm the exact number of communities that have been destroyed.
According to available information, this catastrophic flash flood struck Tibet at 8:37 a.m. (Tibet time) and reached the Nepalese district of Rasuwa around 9:15 a.m. (Nepal time). The debris flow crossed the border and struck the Nepalese district of Rasuwa. It completely submerged the border posts at Timure and Rasuwagadhi before rushing down the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers.
The Central Tibetan Administration held a prayer service at the main Tibetan temple in Dharamsala on August 27, 2026, for the victims and those who lost their lives in the devastating floods that occurred on August 26, 2026, in Kyirong (Tibet) and Rasuwa (Nepal).
