Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

People salvage belongings from their home following flash floods at Devighat in Nepal's Nuwakot district on August 31, 2026. Nepal was burying on August 31 some of the hundreds of bodies retrieved after a deadly, tsunami-like flood crashed through the Himalayan region, sweeping away villages and leaving thousands still missing. Distraught families have packed rescue stations and hospitals in search of their missing relatives, while others have faced the grim task of identifying bodies at overflowing morgues. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)

Article (news)

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1788233747078Screenshot 2026-09-01 113538.png" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">People salvage belongings from their home following flash floods at Devighat in Nepal&#x27;s Nuwakot district on August 31, 2026.Nepal was burying on August 31 some of the hundreds of bodies retrieved after a deadly, tsunami-like flood crashed through the Himalayan region, sweeping away villages and leaving thousands still missing. Distraught families have packed rescue stations and hospitals in search of their missing relatives, while others have faced the grim task of identifying bodies at overflowing morgues.<em> Arun Sankar/AFP</em></span></span></span></div><p>KATHMANDU, Nepal — Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah said last week&#x27;s deadly Himalayan flood was &quot;not an ordinary&quot; event but driven by climate change, as he demanded international action.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/8/31/nepal-toll-surges-as-rescuers-struggle-through-unimaginable-disaster-1821">Nepal toll surges as rescuers struggle through &#x27;unimaginable&#x27; disaster</a></div><p>The huge wave of freezing water and debris, sparked by a glacial collapse on the China-Nepal border, killed at least 939 people and left nearly 4,500 missing, with Kathmandu warning reconstruction costs could run into the &quot;billions of dollars&quot;.</p><p>&quot;The flood in the Bhote Koshi River in Rasuwa was not an ordinary flood,&quot; Prime Minister Balendra Shah said in a social media post late Monday.</p><p>&quot;It was one of the region&#x27;s major disasters, triggered by an avalanche of snow and ice in the Himalayan region,&quot; he said.</p><p>While the exact cause of the collapse is unclear, climate change is causing glaciers to melt worldwide, increasing the risk of such disasters.</p><p>Scientists say the Himalayas, the world&#x27;s highest mountain range, are melting faster as global temperatures rise.</p><p>&quot;This incident indicates that the risks we face in the Himalayan region are increasing alongside climate change,&quot; Shah added.</p><p>&quot;Therefore, this region must remain vigilant.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/8/30/nepal-to-bury-unrecognizable-bodies-while-families-seek-to-identify-missing-loved-ones-2017">Nepal to bury unrecognizable bodies while families seek to identify missing loved ones</a></div><p>Nepal, a largely rural nation of 30 million people, has contributed little to the emissions driving global warming churned out by wealthy and industrialized nations, but is suffering its consequences.</p><p>Shah said Nepal should press its case internationally.</p><p>&quot;It is now time for us to strongly raise with the international community the issue of the disasters we are experiencing as a result of climate change,&quot; he said.</p><p>Glaciers in the wider Himalayan and Hindu Kush ranges are a crucial water source for around 240 million people in the mountainous regions, as well as for another 1.65 billion people in the South Asian and Southeast Asian river valleys below.</p><p>UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, visiting Nepal in 2023, warned that Himalayan regions were struggling with rapidly melting glaciers and that the &quot;rooftops of the world are caving in&quot;.</p><p>Following Wednesday&#x27;s disaster, UN climate chief Simon Stiell said it was a &quot;devastating reminder of how fragile these mountain environments can be&quot;, he said.</p><p>Nepal&#x27;s economy is already under pressure, with limited resources to respond to a disaster of this scale.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/K74rNDbCTmA?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eTye5W_Q0Ro?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h8CZIZBFEeY?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah said last week's deadly Himalayan flood was "not an ordinary" event but driven by climate change, as he demanded international action.</p>

Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah said last week's deadly Himalayan flood was "not an ordinary" event but driven by climate change, as he demanded international action.

Nepal Prime Minister demands climate action after Himalayan disaster

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Nepal Prime Minister demands climate action after Himalayan disaster

Agence France-Presse

Published September 01, 2026 11:37 AM PHT

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