By the hour the toll becomes heavier. Over 530 victims of the devastating flood that hit Nepal on Wednesday, near the border with China. This is what the Nepalese police communicated but the data (updated at 12.30 pm, Italian time, on August 28) is continuously updated. There are over 2,380 missing, including the Ligurian goldsmith Marco Ratto and an Italian-Swiss couple. The searches are very complicated, both because the road system is completely destroyed and because a new enormous accumulation of water and mud has been created which is starting to give way.
Our thoughts are with the communities affected by this week’s devastating flash floods in Nepal.
To support ongoing response and recovery efforts, Vantor has activated its Open Data Program, providing free access to high-resolution satellite imagery for frontline organizations… pic.twitter.com/RqQJdqAghr
— Vantor (@vantortech) August 27, 2026
The search for the missing in Nepal
Located in the heart of the Himalayas, the region where the disaster occurred attracts trekkers and climbers from around the world, particularly those attempting to reach the summit of Everest. Rescue teams found bodies hundreds of kilometers downstream from the affected area, in the Chitwan district, near the border with Tibet.
Search operations for the missing are complicated by the destruction of dozens of bridges and almost 40 kilometers of roads in the mountainous region. Images of some rescues are circulating on the web, with Nepalese soldiers saving some survivors from the mud.
Current visuals from the Rasuwa Hydropower Project show the Nepal Army rescuing two people alive after two days following the flash flood, while teams continue searching for many others still trapped inside. pic.twitter.com/PKaUQqP1uy
— Weather Monitor (@WeatherMonitors) August 28, 2026
According to the latest information, around one hundred people were trapped inside a tunnel of a hydroelectric plant. “Our objective is to search and rescue people, some are trapped in the tunnel of the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric plant,” said Nepalese army spokesman Raja Ram Basnet.
New floods
Complicating everything is the risk of a new disaster. Due to the blockage of the Lhende River, a lake of approximately 0.11 square kilometers was formed about 18 kilometers upstream from the Rasuwagadhi border. The level continues to rise and the barrier could give way, causing a new wave downstream.
A pedestrian river crossing was filmed shaking violently during Nepal’s flash flooding on Wednesday
Live updates: https://t.co/9dzJ09iT9J pic.twitter.com/IvdBg3e8dB— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 27, 2026
The authorities have invited residents, travelers and rescuers to stay away from the banks and risk areas. Beijing in turn raised the alarm: all rescue teams were ordered to retreat one kilometer and await further instructions.
Who are the missing Italians
One of the Italians about whom we have no news is Marco Ratto, a fifty-year-old goldsmith from Rapallo. An Italian-Swiss couple who was traveling from Tibet to Nepal was also untraceable. The Farnesina is carrying out checks with local authorities and tour operators: so far around 130 compatriots reported in the area have been contacted. On the recommendation of the Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, personnel were sent to Kathmandu from the embassy in New Delhi, to strengthen the presence on site and assistance to compatriots.
Names of Tourists Reported Out of Contact Following the Bhote Koshi Flood.
Source: Department of Tourism, Nepal. pic.twitter.com/EWDo9rgAj9
— Everest Today (@EverestToday) August 27, 2026
Overall, 644 foreigners are missing. Among them are 178 Indians, 65 people from the United States, 53 from Ukraine, 51 from Malaysia, 35 from Australia, 33 from the United Kingdom, 25 from Canada, nine from Singapore, eight from Germany, eight from Russia, six from South Africa, six from Latvia, five from Japan, five from New Zealand, four from France, three from Belgium and three from Spain. And two citizens of Kazakhstan, Portugal, Ireland, the Netherlands, and one citizen each of Sweden, Hungary, Serbia, Switzerland, Israel, the Philippines, Finland, Belarus, Lithuania and Bulgaria.
Our fingers crossed.😭😭😭
🙏🙏🙏Today, rescue helicopters of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) filmed footage near a devastating mudslide hit port of Gyirong (吉隆), along the🇨🇳#China-🇳🇵#Nepal border in China’s Xizang Autonomous Region. pic.twitter.com/56w5fiS6tJ
— Shen Shiwei 沈诗伟 (@shen_shiwei) August 27, 2026
The Nepal government has also put the list of people rescued online, including foreigners. Among the people rescued there are also the Turin Valentina Piccinini and the Tuscan photographer Stefano Lotumolo. “Nepal destroyed itself, Nepal destroyed me, but the Nepalese saved me”, the first words of the young woman who escaped the disaster.
Nepal’s decision
The government of Nepal, starting with Prime Minister Balendra Shah, will donate the month’s salary to finance reconstruction after last Wednesday’s tragedy. “The government has decided to pay one month’s salary of the prime minister and all members of the Council of Ministers into the Solidarity Fund in the event of natural disasters”, announced the prime minister’s office in a note released via X after a meeting of the Council of Ministers in Kathmandu.
The Ministry of Finance has been asked to develop an assistance package for those affected by the devastating flood.