From Nepal to Nigeria: The natural disasters of 2026 so far

Extreme weather and geological upheaval have battered multiple continents in recent months, leaving thousands dead or missing and testing emergency response systems from the Himalayas to West Africa. The events range widely in cause some tied to tectonic activity unrelated to a warming planet, others linked directly to record-breaking heat and rainfall. Below is a roundup of confirmed, dated disasters from the past several months:

1. Nepal-Tibet Flash Floods (August 26–29, 2026)

Flash floods and mudslides swept through a 72-kilometer stretch of Nepal’s Trishuli River, affecting seven districts and destroying the Gyirong Port complex on the China-Tibet border. Water levels in the Trishuli rose by up to 9 meters in 30 minutes. The death toll in Nepal has reached at least 734, with nearly 2,500 people still missing; China has reported 16 dead and 546 missing. Officials believe the flooding was triggered by a glacier collapse near Langtang Lirung in the Himalayas. Search and rescue operations remain ongoing.

2. West Africa Floods, Including Nigeria and Ghana (July–August 2026)

Weeks of torrential rain across West Africa, from Côte d’Ivoire to Nigeria, killed dozens and displaced hundreds in July, with flooded neighborhoods reported in Accra, Ghana. The rain has continued into August, with fresh flooding and a landslide hitting Nigeria’s Nasarawa State (Aug 15), Ondo State (Aug 18), and Anambra State (Aug 18). This continues a punishing multi-year pattern for Nigeria specifically: 2024 flooding killed over 1,200 people across 31 states, and 2025 flooding — including the deadly Mokwa dam collapse in Niger State — killed at least 538. Nigeria’s hydrological agency had already flagged over 14,000 communities as high flood risk for 2026, with the season expected to peak between July and September.

3. Kyushu, Japan Earthquake (July 28, 2026)

A magnitude 6.8–7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture in southern Japan, forcing roughly 300,000 people to evacuate and collapsing several buildings, including a shopping mall. Japanese officials confirmed 13 deaths, with others injured or missing. Japan sits at the intersection of multiple tectonic plates, making it one of the most seismically active countries on Earth.

4. Algeria Wildfires (late August 2026)

Deadly wildfires broke out in northeastern Algeria, prompting Saudi Arabia to formally express solidarity over the resulting deaths and injuries.

5. Venezuela Earthquakes (June 2026)

Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela in June. The death toll has since climbed sharply, with figures cited by lawmaker Jorge Rodríguez in late August putting it above 6,000. Venezuela sits near the boundary of the Caribbean and South American tectonic plates.

6. Fuego Volcano Eruption, Guatemala (August 2026)

Guatemala’s disaster agency declared a nationwide orange alert following a major eruption of the Fuego volcano, one of Central America’s most active, and evacuated two nearby villages as a precaution.

7. Colombia Earthquake (August 10, 2026)

Western Colombia was rocked by a magnitude 7.4–7.5 earthquake on August 10, the strongest to hit the country this century. The quake killed at least 331 people, injured more than 4,600, and left 240 missing, with tremors felt across all 32 of Colombia’s departments and into neighboring Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela. Cali, Pereira, Quibdó, Manizales, and Armenia bore the brunt of the damage: Pereira’s airport partially collapsed, and a hospital’s pediatric ward in Cali was among the structures destroyed. The epicenter near San José del Palmar sits directly above the fault line where the Malpelo plate subducts beneath the South American plate. President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a national emergency as rescue teams raced to reach communities cut off by landslides and damaged roads.

Analysis

Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are geological in origin and unrelated to climate trends. The flooding events, however, fit a well-documented pattern: West Africa and Nigeria’s floods are driven by heavy seasonal rainfall increasingly overwhelming drainage infrastructure, while the Nepal disaster points to a newer climate-linked risk. Nigeria’s own flood outlook has explicitly tied its escalating annual death tolls to this broader pattern of intensifying rainfall.