Caritas Nepal distributes aid after glacial floods leave 919 dead
Caritas Nepal has delivered emergency shelter, hygiene kits and cash grants to affected families after floods caused by a glacial outburst on August 26 killed 919 people and left more than 4,700 missing
Floods in Nepal caused by a glacial outburst on August 26, 2026, have killed 919 people and left more than 4,793 missing. Caritas Nepal has launched a large relief operation for the thousands of families affected. More than 930 workers at hydroelectric plants are also missing and are feared trapped in tunnels along the Bhote Koshi-Trishuli river system.
The president of Caritas Nepal, Fr. Silas Krishna Bogati, said the Catholic Church's response is fully under way. Emergency shelter and hygiene kits have gone to more than 1,000 households so far. Caritas Nepal is also giving cash grants of 15,000 Nepali rupees, about $110, to 750 of the worst-affected families.
Bogati, who is also apostolic administrator of the Apostolic Vicariate of Nepal, said more than 50 community kitchens are operating and feeding 300 families a day.
Destruction of infrastructure
The full extent of the damage is not yet known. Reuters reported that the floods swept away 19 bridges and roads along with other essential infrastructure, hampering rescue work and the search for survivors. Rescue operations, supported by China and India, are being carried out amid the risk of landslides and further flooding.
Aid workers have warned that winter is approaching, which will increase the needs of displaced families, who need thermal clothing and adequate shelter. The Nepal Red Cross has formally asked Caritas Nepal for more than 1,000 body bags, because decomposing bodies have become a public health problem.
International response and the pope's solidarity
International aid pledges have passed $200 million, with contributions from the United States, Europe, Canada and the World Bank. Pope Leo XIV expressed his solidarity and prayed on Sunday for the victims of the floods. "Let us pray for those who have lost their lives, for the injured and the missing, for the families and for the rescue teams. May gestures of solidarity help to ease the suffering and bring the necessary aid to the population," he said.
The US bishops called for international mobilization and urged "long-term efforts to help affected communities rebuild their homes, their livelihoods and essential infrastructure." Nepal and China are expected to improve the sharing of real-time data on glaciers, avalanche risks and water levels.
