LIVE UPDATES: Nepal-Tibet flash flood devastation (Aug 28, 2026)

The Filipino who has been missing following the massive flood in Nepal has been identified by Nepalese authorities, as his sister now calls for help in tracing his whereabouts.

According to an official log by Nepal's Department of Tourism, Juan Carlos Manalo of the Philippines has been listed as a missing person in the wake of Wednesday's flooding.

Manalo was identified as part of a "trekkers society."

As this developed, Chaira Manalo, who identified herself as the sister of Juan Carlos, asked for information related to his current whereabouts. 

The Philippine Embassy in New Delhi, which has jurisdiction over Nepal, confirmed Friday that one Filipino was indeed missing in the wake of the massive flash flood at the Nepal-China border.

The Embassy said the family of the missing Filipino has yet to reach out to them, but they ready to assist them.

The Nepal Tourism Board Thursday posted a list of missing persons due to the flash flood. Of the 667 missing persons from 32 countries, one is from the Philippines.

Members of the Filipino community in Nepal are safe and have all been accounted for, while the search continues for a missing Filipino in the wake of the massive flash flood at the Nepal-China border that left hundreds dead, a Philippine envoy said Friday.

Consul General Maria Cynthia Pelayo of the Philippine Embassy in India, which represents the Philippines in Nepal, told Super Radyo dzBB that coordination is ongoing with the Filipino community in the destated country following Wednesday's flooding.

"Mayroon kaming close communication with the Filipino community in Nepal (We have close communication with the Filipino community in Nepal). Fortunately, they are all okay. They are well accounted for," Pelayo said.

The Philippines designates a non-resident ambassador to Nepal, who is based in New Delhi, India. On the other hand, the Nepalese non-resident ambassador to the Philippines is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

A Filipina living in Kathmandu remains anxious after catastrophic flash floods devastated communities in Nepal's north near the Himalayan border with Tibet, an area she said is not too far from her home.

“I cannot say na sobrang layo niya kasi based on the map po, it's just 100 kilometers away," Divina, who lives in the Nepalese capital with her Nepali husband and their daughter, told GMA News. "Two to three hours' drive po siya from my place.”

A massive wall of water and mud crashed through valleys and hillsides on the border regions of Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday, and swept down a route that links Kathmandu with Lhasa in Tibet and which is usually thronged by trekkers and pilgrims. Nearly 1,000 people are still missing and at least 362 people have been killed. At least one Filipino is missing, according to Nepalese authorities.

A weather specialist from PAGASA believes that the flash flood that occurred along the Nepal-Tibet border is unlikely to occur in the Philippines.

“Based on ‘yung ating construction ng mga kailugan po sa ngayon is somehow hindi naman ganoon ka-drastic talaga, hindi comparable doon sa nangyari sa may area ng Himalayas kasi sobrang lawak naman po atsaka ang tataas talaga ng mga bundok nila doon,” PAGASA weather specialist Benison Estareja said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB on Friday.

(Based on the current construction of our rivers, it is somehow not that drastic and is not comparable to what happened in the Himalayan region, which is much more extensive and has much higher mountains.)

“‘Yung potential energy coming from ‘yung pinakamataas papunta sa ibaba, talagang sobra ‘yung impact. Unlike dito na, yes may tendency na talagang dumami ‘yung tubig, pero ‘yung ragasa po hindi naman siya nakikita halos maladelubyo,” he added.

One Filipino remains missing following the deadly flash flood that struck Nepal on Wednesday, with Philippine officials continuing to coordinate with Nepalese authorities and the Filipino community to locate the missing national.

Philippine Embassy in India Consul General Maria Cynthia Pelayo said Friday that they have yet to receive information on the Filipino whose disappearance was reported following the disaster.

“Until now, we are still waiting for information about the missing Filipino which was reported yesterday,” Pelayo said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview.

The Filipino is among the 667 foreign nationals from 32 countries listed as still missing in the update released by Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday evening.

Pelayo said the Philippine Embassy has maintained close communication with the Filipino community in Nepal and that those they have accounted for are safe.

“Fortunately, they are all okay. They are well accounted for,” she said.

Most members of the Filipino community are in Kathmandu, according to Pelayo. She said around 90% of the profiles they have are spouses of Nepalese nationals, while the percentage of Filipino professionals in the country is “very minimal.”

The Philippine government earlier said there were 18 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Nepal based on Overseas Workers Welfare Administration records, while Department of Foreign Affairs data showed 128 Filipinos in the country.

Rescue efforts continue

Pelayo said Nepalese authorities continue rescue operations in areas affected by the flash flood, although access to some locations remains difficult.

The Philippine official also noted that getting information from the affected areas has been difficult, saying it would be challenging for her to personally reach the location.

Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has established an emergency response team to coordinate search and rescue operations, verify information concerning missing foreign nationals and provide consular assistance. It has also urged families and diplomatic missions to rely on official channels and avoid circulating unverified information.

The disaster was triggered by a glacier collapse that sent a torrent of water, rock, ice and mud through Himalayan river systems along the Nepal-China border.

A Reuters report on Thursday quoting the Nepali police said that 359 had died, with dozens of bodies swept down into the plains from where they were being recovered.

Rescuers searched for survivors in the debris-strewn valleys and hillsides of Nepal on Thursday while more than 1,000 people remained missing there and in neighboring China after a wall of ice, mud and rock collapsed into a mountain river, triggering a catastrophic flash flood.