TEHRAN – The head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), Pirhossein Kolivand, has announced the IRCS’s readiness to dispatch rescue forces and relief supplies to help people affected by the flood in Nepal.

“With deep sorrow, we have learned of the devastating flood, severe rainfall, flooding, and landslides in Nepal, which have tragically resulted in the loss of lives, missing persons, and extensive damage to homes, infrastructure, telecommunications, transportation routes, roads, bridges across various regions of the country. We are deeply saddened by this tragic disaster and the suffering it has caused to the people of Nepal.

The Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran stands with you in these difficult moments and, while expressing its sincere sympathy to Your Excellency and the Nepal Red Cross Society, as well as its condolences to the bereaved families and those affected by this tragic disaster, hereby declares its readiness to dispatch relief and medical teams.

 We sincerely wish you and your colleagues continued strength, health, and success in your noble humanitarian efforts,” Kolivand wrote in a message to Bishal Kumar Bhandari, the chairperson of  the Nepal Red Cross Society.

On the morning of 26 August 2026, a sudden and powerful flash flood swept through the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river systems in central Nepal, affecting settlements across Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading districts, including the Rasuwagadhi border crossing area. Officials suspect that the flooding may have been triggered by an upstream ice or rock avalanche, or by a glacial lake outburst, rather than by local rainfall. The exact cause remains under investigation.

Nepal’s National Disaster Management Authority said on Saturday that 673 bodies had been recovered, Aljazeera reported.

The total number of people missing on the Nepalese side of the border has risen to 2,496, of which 517 are foreigners – which could include tourists as well as foreign workers.

MT/MG