In Pictures Save Share Soldiers rescue a worker from a tunnel during an ongoing operation at the Trishuli-3A hydropower project in Nepal's Rasuwa district. [Nepal Army via AP Photo] By AFP and AP Published On 6 Sep 20266 Sep 2026 The United Nations’ top official in Nepal has issued an emotional appeal for international aid, warning that survivors of the catastrophic Himalayan flooding last month saw their lives transformed “in one to two minutes”.
The UN Resident Coordinator, Lila Pieters Yahia, said communities along the China-Nepal border were struggling to comprehend the scale of devastation after torrential floods on August 26 tore through mountain districts, destroying roads, bridges and hydropower dams.
“You lose your home, you lose your livelihood, you lose your loved one and you lose the breadwinner of your family,” she told the AFP news agency in Kathmandu.
“And you know, this happened in one to two minutes.” At least 1,384 people were killed and more than 5,500 others remain missing in Nepal and the Tibet region of China.
Among the missing are more than 800 foreigners from at least 34 countries, including tourists and pilgrims.
Many communities near the epicentre remain cut off, with roads washed away and journeys that once took hours now stretching into days.
The UN, working with Nepal’s government, has launched a $50m appeal to support more than 84,000 people affected.
The UN’s Pieters Yahia warned of the risk of cholera and other communicable diseases, citing the deaths of 5,000 cattle and urging urgent investment in sanitation, hygiene and protection for vulnerable women and girls.
“My plea to the international community is: this is the time to help Nepal,” she said.
“We can’t leave them alone.” Advertisement The flooding that authorities say was likely caused by a glacial collapse last month has killed at least 1,384 people and left more than 5,500 missing, among them about 800 foreigners. [Pedro Pardo/AFP] Advertisement Flash flood survivors rest in a relief shelter at Devighat in Nepal's Nuwakot district. [Pedro Pardo/AFP] The United Nations has launched an appeal for $50m to help more than 84,000 people, saying the destruction makes delivering aid an immense challenge. [Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP Photo] Flash flood survivors collect aid from a temporary relief centre at Devighat in Nepal's Nuwakot district. [Pedro Pardo/AFP] Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal has highlighted how leading greenhouse gas emitters have a 'historical responsibility to compensate vulnerable nations like Nepal'. [Pedro Pardo / AFP] He added that the government has officially filed a 'formal climate compensation claim letter' to international partners. [Pedro Pardo / AFP] Advertisement Salvaged belongings ins a flash flood-damaged house in Devighat in Nepal. [Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo] While the exact cause of the glacial collapse remains under investigation, experts say that the frequency and scale of glacier floods have increased as global temperatures have risen. [Pedro Pardo/AFP] A United Nations study found that floods have become nearly five times more frequent since 1950. [Prakash Mathema/AFP]
