Viral Buddha Statue Video Falsely Linked to 2026 Nepal-Tibet Floods

A viral video showing a Gautam Buddha statue surrounded by floodwaters in Nepal is being falsely linked to the devastating Nepal-Tibet floods of August 2026.

Fact-checking has established that the footage is not from the recent disaster. The video was recorded during flooding in September 2024 and shows a Buddha statue located along the Narayani River in Chitwan district.

What does the viral video claim?

A video circulating on Facebook shows a large Gautam Buddha statue standing amid rising floodwaters.

The footage was shared with captions claiming that the statue remained safe during the recent floods in Nepal and that the incident had attracted widespread attention.

The video gained traction online as devastating floods struck northern Nepal near the border with China's Tibet Autonomous Region in August 2026.

2026 Nepal-Tibet floods

On August 26, 2026, severe flash flooding hit Nepal's Rasuwa district near the border with Tibet.

The Bhote Koshi River overflowed, affecting communities in Rasuwa and downstream areas. The disaster caused widespread destruction to homes, roads, bridges and other infrastructure.

The floods followed a major collapse of ice, mud and rock in the Himalayan region, sending a powerful surge of water and debris downstream.

As the scale of the disaster became clearer, thousands of rescue workers were involved in search and relief operations across affected areas.

Fact or Fiction?

A reverse-image search of keyframes from the viral video found matching images and footage published by Nepalese media in September 2024.

One matching report documented rising water levels in the Narayani River on September 28, 2024. Another video containing the same Buddha statue footage was also published during the 2024 floods.

The matching visuals confirm that the viral footage predates the August 2026 floods by nearly two years.

Where is the Buddha statue located?

Further verification using location information and Google Street View identified the statue as being situated along the Narayani River in Bharatpur, Chitwan district of Nepal.

Chitwan is not among the districts identified as being directly affected by the August 2026 Nepal-Tibet flood disaster.

The statue is also located away from the Nepal-Tibet border region where the major flooding occurred.

This geographical evidence further contradicts the claim that the video shows the Buddha statue during the 2026 floods.

Verdict

9 News HD Fact Check: MISLEADING

The viral video does show a genuine Buddha statue surrounded by floodwaters in Nepal, but it is not footage from the 2026 Nepal-Tibet floods.

The video dates back to flooding in September 2024 and was recorded near the Narayani River in Chitwan district, outside the areas affected by the August 2026 disaster.