Nepal Flash Floods: 33 British Tourists Missing, Including a 13-Year-Old Girl, as Rescue Effort Widens

Flash floods struck Nepal's Rasuwa district near the Tibet border, leaving 33 British tourists among hundreds of people missing. A 13-year-old British girl is also unaccounted for as rescue teams expand the search.

Police said rescuers had recovered 157 bodies. The Nepal Tourism Board listed 403 people as missing, including 341 foreign nationals and 33 people from the UK.

British Trekkers Missing After Flash Floods

Alpine Eco Trek confirmed that 12 British nationals from one group are missing. The group includes the 13-year-old girl, while records show the British travellers were aged between 13 and 65.

The operator also reported two Irish nationals, four South Africans and four Nepali guides missing from the same trip. Adhikari said contact with the guides ended at about 8.40am local time near the border immigration area.

The Tourism Board's list also included 133 Indian nationals and 47 Americans. Another 34 Australians were missing as officials continued checking the whereabouts of foreign visitors.

The wider British total covers travellers reported missing across the affected region. Authorities are still trying to confirm who reached safety after communications failed in parts of northern Nepal.

Drones and Search Dogs Deployed in Nepal Flood Zone

Nepal Police has deployed specialist teams across Rasuwa and nearby districts. The flood also affected Nuwakot, Dhading and Chitwan.

Disaster-response officers and medical teams joined the operation. Police also deployed search dogs and four drones to support searches in difficult terrain.

Command posts are coordinating rescue work and victim identification. Nepal Police also said it had lost contact with 28 officers working in Rasuwa.

Damaged roads and bridges have restricted access to the worst-hit areas. Communications remain unreliable in several locations.

Nepal has sought help from India and China. Emergency teams are searching communities along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river systems.

Flooding damaged homes and power infrastructure. Hydropower facilities along the river network were also affected.

On the Tibetan side of the border, Chinese authorities reported three deaths and 265 people missing in Gyirong County. High water and damaged transport links have slowed parts of the rescue effort.

Authorities are moving people away from vulnerable riverbanks. Search teams are also trying to reach isolated communities.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office updated its Nepal travel advice on 26 August. It warned that transport and communications infrastructure had suffered severe damage.

The department urged British nationals to follow local instructions. It said conditions could change quickly in affected areas.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said he was 'deeply concerned' by the floods. UK officials are working with Nepalese authorities to locate missing Britons.

Ice-Rock Avalanche Under Investigation

Scientists are investigating whether an ice-rock avalanche triggered the flood, according to an initial assessment from Nepal's Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. Their preliminary assessment points to the Lhende Khola, a tributary of the Bhote Koshi.

Researchers said ice and rock may have entered the river system. That could have sent a sudden surge of water and sediment downstream.

Scientists have not confirmed the cause. They are reviewing hydrological and seismic information, along with remote-sensing data.

Water levels at Galchhi on the Trishuli River rose by as much as nine metres within 30 minutes, according to local officials, showing how quickly the flood moved downstream.

Authorities have warned people to stay away from riverbanks and other high-risk areas. The UK government has advised British nationals who need consular help to contact its help lines in Nepal or Britain.