Environment & Climate

Deadly glacier collapse in Nepal devastates Trishuli river basin

A massive glacial collapse killed roughly 1,400 people and buried 12 hydropower plants, NPR reports.

Updated Sep 23, 2026 · 12:19 UTC1 reports

The short version

A 3,800-foot-wide glacier and bedrock section collapsed on Aug. 26, creating massive waves that swept away highway miles, around 70 bridges, and buried 12 hydropower facilities along the Trishuli river.[NPR]
Roughly 1,400 bodies have been found and over 5,000 people remain missing, including dozens trapped inside damaged power plants.[NPR]
Experts emphasize that initial analyses tie the collapse to climate warming, while highlighting that cumulative risks across dense hydropower projects in high-risk river basins remain inadequately studied.[NPR]

A glacier and bedrock measuring over 3,800 feet wide collapsed 4,000 feet into a river valley on Aug. 26, triggering 30-foot waves.[NPR]
The disaster buried 12 hydropower facilities, destroyed about 70 bridges, and tore through miles of highway along the Trishuli river.[NPR]
By early September, about 1,400 bodies were recovered and more than 5,000 people remained missing, according to a Nepali army official.[NPR]
The Trishuli basin has 36 hydropower projects and has suffered deadly flooding three years in a row.[NPR]

The exact fate of more than 5,000 missing individuals remains unknown.[NPR]
There is no clear evidence demonstrating whether hydropower construction activities contributed to the severity of the disaster.[NPR]

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.