Mapping the path of destruction in Nepal

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4 min read Original article ↗

As a mass of glacial water crashed through the mountains and valleys of the Nepalese and Tibetan border, survivors and CCTV cameras filmed extraordinary videos. Even satellites captured the scale of the disaster.

Hundreds of people were killed and at least 1,500 more are missing, including dozens of Australians, after river levels rose by up to 9 metres within just 30 minutes.

The flash flooding is believed to have been caused by the collapse of a glacier, adding to the growing list of mass casualty disasters linked to climate change.

ABC News Verify has mapped some of the key videos showing the water's destructive path through the mountainous region.

Location of Rasuwagadhi border point video.

1. CCTV from Rasuwagadhi border point

CCTV captured the moments before a wall of water crashed through the Rasuwagadhi border point in the Himalayan mountain range.

People can be seen desperately running away, and cars attempting to leave just seconds before the flash flood hit. A multi-storey building is then enveloped in dark water and debris.

Location of Upper Trushuli Hydropower project.

2. Upper Trishuli Hydropower project

Thirty kilometres downstream the floodwaters swept away a gate under construction at the 216-megawatt hydro-electric plant in Rasuwa District.

People along the Trishuli River blew whistles to sound the alarm and climbed the banks to attempt escape.

Location of Trishuli bridge video.

3. Trishuli bridge

The muddy water can then be seen rushing towards a bridge spanning the river in the town of Trishuli.

Filmed from a vantage point high above town, the scale of the flash flood can be seen as it smashes through the upstream bridge, washing it away completely 36 seconds into the clip.

Location of Trishuli ground level video.

4. Ground level in Trishuli

Filmed from inside a bus, just slightly downstream from the last video, the sheer panic of people in the same town of Trishuli can be seen and heard as the water hits two bridges.

Children can be heard screaming as the bus races along a road running adjacent to the river bank.

Location of Dhadingbesi Bridge video.

5. Dhadingbesi Bridge

A further 30km downstream, this single-lane concrete bridge near the Nepalese town of Kalidaha did not stand a chance against the raging river.

A crowd of people filming the brown water can be heard shouting as the remnants of other bridges and structures are washed past.

Amid the ruins, there are also stories of survival.

Police officers have been seen carrying a survivor to safety at Trishuli in Nepal's Nuwakot district.

A close up of five men carrying an older woman covered in mud to safety.

Police officers carry a survivor to safety in Trishuli.(Reuters: Navesh Chitrakar )

A man sits in the front of a digger as it drives through flood water.

A survivor is transported to a safer place.(Reuters: Navesh Chitrakar)

Satellite image of Syapru Besi, Nepal prior to flooding in August 2026.

Syapru Besi, Nepal prior to the flooding.(Planet Labs PBC)

Satellite imagery gives the clearest picture of just how dramatically the landscape has changed.

This is the Trishuli River that runs through Nepal's Syapru Besi before the disaster.

Satellite image of the aftermath of flooding in Syapru Besi, Nepal in August 2026.

The aftermath of flooding in Syapru Besi, Nepal.(Planet Labs PBC)

The sheer amount of water quickly caused the river to swell before breaking its banks and flooding nearby areas.

Satellite image of Kolpurtar, Nepal prior to flooding in August 2026.

Kolpurtar, Nepal prior to flooding.(Supplied: Planet Labs PBC)

It is a similar story near multiple waterways throughout the region.

Satellite image of the aftermath of flooding in Kolpurtar, Nepal in August 2026.

The aftermath of flooding in Kolpurtar, Nepal.(Supplied: Planet Labs PBC)

In nearby Kolpurtar the river overflowed, causing a wide path of destruction.

Satellite image of Betrawoti Bazaar, Nepal prior to flooding in August 2026.

Betrawoti Bazaar, Nepal prior to flooding.(Supplied: Planet Labs PBC)

Elsewhere, in Betrawoti Bazaar, a river runs through the heart of the area.

Satellite image showing the aftermath of flooding in Betrawoti Bazaar, Nepal in August 2026.

The aftermath of flooding in Betrawoti Bazaar, Nepal.(Supplied: Planet Labs PBC)

But it is nearly unrecognisable now due to the flooding.

It will be a race against time for emergency responders to save what, and who, has been buried in the devastation.

Nepalese rescue helicopters have been unable to land in the affected areas until the waters recede, an army spokesperson said.

Witnesses have told media on the ground that they watched entire villages get swept away, adding "there is devastation everywhere we look".

An aerial photo of houses sinking into mud.

Damaged houses stand precariously near the swollen, debris-choked banks of the Trishuli River.(AP: Niranjan Shrestha)

A truck is half-submerged by mud that covers buildings halfway up windows.

A truck is seen partially submerged in mud following severe flooding.(AP: Niranjan Shrestha)

Multiple people stand in the street surveying the damage of flash flooding and mud slides.

Locals observe the destruction.(Reuters: Navesh Chitrakar)

Satellite imagery courtesy of Planet Labs PBC.