Floods and landslides kill at least 70 people across India and Nepal

A fresh wave of heavy monsoon rainfall, driven by a Bay of Bengal depression, has triggered severe floods and landslides across northern India and Nepal, killing at least 70 people. In India's Uttar Pradesh, 56 deaths were reported alongside extensive crop and property damage, while Nepal recorded up to 14 deaths. This disaster compounds the devastation from an August 2026 glacial collapse that killed over 1,400 people, leaving thousands of displaced survivors in temporary camps facing a multi-billion-dollar reconstruction crisis.

September 2026 India-Nepal floods

• ▪Heavy rainfall, floods, and landslides killed at least 56 people, injured 46 others, and damaged more than 1,000 houses in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh between September 25 and September 27, 2026.
• ▪An avalanche buried the base camp of the 7,126-meter Himlung Himal in Nepal's northern Manang district, leaving 10 local tent-setting workers missing.
• ▪A fresh wave of flooding and landslides in Nepal killed between 12 and 14 people and left up to 11 others missing between September 24 and September 27, 2026.
• ▪In the eastern Indian state of Odisha, heavy downpours forced the evacuation of more than 70,000 people from low-lying areas and led officials to close the Devkund tourist spot.

August 2026 glacial collapse

• ▪A massive collapse of ice and rock in the Himalayas on August 26, 2026, triggered catastrophic flooding that killed more than 1,400 people and left thousands missing across the Nepal-Tibet border.
• ▪The August 2026 flood disaster left 34 Australian citizens missing, including Shylaja Muralitharan, her husband Chandrasekaran Muralitharan, and their two sons, Ashwin and Aarush.

Devighat displacement crisis

• ▪Displaced residents in the Nepalese town of Devighat, such as Maina Pariyar, are living in temporary relief camps while facing uncertainty over whether they will be permitted to rebuild in designated red zones.
• ▪Nepal's government is seeking $20 million from the United Nations loss and damage fund, while the country's finance minister estimated that proper rebuilding will require $4 billion to $5 billion.

Monsoon rainfall climate patterns

• ▪Scientists warn that South Asia is experiencing an increase in extreme weather events, linking the rising frequency of floods and landslides to rising temperatures and changing climate patterns.
• ▪A depression over the Bay of Bengal moved inland, causing Uttar Pradesh to record 66.5mm of rain from September 25 to September 27, 2026, compared to the normal 7.6mm average.

Regional infrastructure damage

• ▪Damage to optical fibers and power supplies completely disrupted telecommunications and electricity in Nepal's Manang, Mustang, Myagdi, and Baglung districts, according to government officials.
• ▪Flooding of the Rahuganga River in Nepal damaged the structure and transmission-line towers of a 40-megawatt hydropower project, according to Water Resources and Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha.
• ▪The Central Water Commission reported that 30 river-monitoring stations across seven Indian states were in a severe situation, with major rivers including the Ganga and Narmada rising above danger levels.

Debatable claims

• ▪Nepal is justified in banning rebuilding in flood red zones
• ▪Himalayan hydropower projects pose unacceptable safety risks during extreme weather