Nepal warns of more possible floods as communities grapple with devastation

DHADING, Nepal (AP) — Authorities in Nepal are warning of possible fresh flooding on Sunday and urged residents in flood-affected districts to remain on high alert after water levels rose in the Bhotekoshi River.

Flood warning notices were sent to people's phones throughout Sunday morning, as rescue crews worked to clear a major highway connecting Kathmandu to one of the areas worst-hit by Wednesday's catasrophic floods.

In the town of Galchhi, a group of residents sought higher ground on a nearby bridge and watched as the river roared by. People pointed to enormous rocks that had been washed downriver during the earlier floods, as others standing on a suspension bridge over the water were warned off with whistles.

Along the river entire homes, vehicles and farm tractors could be seen jutting from the thick grey-brown sediment that has enveloped entire villages in the worst-hit flood areas. Rice terraces along riverside had experienced landslides, dropping parts of their field into the river.

The combined toll in Nepal and Tibet rose to 750 dead and over 3,000 people missing after the latest updates on Sunday. Nepal’s disaster agency said the death toll had climbed to 734 with 2,498 people missing, while Chinese authorities reported 16 deaths and 546 missing, including over a hundred Nepalis and people from over a dozen countries.

The latest warnings came after Chinese authorities informed their Nepalese counterparts of increased water flow upstream, Dharam Raj Uprety, chief executive of Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, told the Associated Press.

But residents of the flood-hit villages said they were struggling to make sense of near-constant alarms they've received since the initial floods.

“Sometimes they say a flood is coming, then we have to run again to higher ground, even at night. There is also rain,” said local resident Govind Shreshta. “It’s really difficult for me. I have a 72-year-old father and 70-year-old mom. I must carry them and I am exhausted. It’s going on like this for those who are still alive.”

Large concrete and smaller suspension bridges were destroyed, leaving communities on the other side of the river less easy access.

“Those that are there are now stuck there. Those who are here are stuck here. It’s going to be very difficult,” said Sattan Singh Tamang, 47, who was working near a bridge when Wednesday’s the floods came.

Homes and businesses left intact after the flooding were still without electricity on Sunday, as twisted power line poles and wires lay tangled in the mud.

Prithivi Highway is crucial supply route for food, fuel and other goods entering Kathmandu from other parts of the country. While most of the highway is operational, other parts still face repair challenges.

AP writers Aijaz Hussain in New Delhi and Shristi Kafle in Kathmandu, Nepal, contributed to this report.

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A girl holds a child as they watch a rescue helicopter fly by in Trishuli Bazaar area of Nuwakot district, Nepal, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Authorities use drones to distribute relief materials in the areas cut off from the flash floods in Nepal's Nuwakot district, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

A farmer cleans his corn crop after flash floods in Nepal’s Nuwakot district on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

A drone view shows rescue workers inspect the area and damaged structures following recent flash flooding along the Trishuli River in the Devighat area of Nuwakot district, Nepal, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

A resident looks at the swollen Trishuli river in Galchhi, Dhading District, Nepal, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (AP) — With screams and giggles, whipping ponytails and white-knuckle grips, Minnesota fairgoers are taking delight in the magic of the Tilt-A-Whirl ride as it turns 100 years old.

The iconic ride and its brightly colored cars debuted at the Minnesota State Fair in 1926, and it has been a mainstay at fairs across the country ever since. Riders who stumbled off the ride on Thursday spoke with The Associated Press about the ride, which is a favorite for many.

Valerie Nelson, a Minnesota native who returned to her home state to visit the fair, said she first rode the Tilt-A-Whirl as a child in the 1970s.

“It’s my favorite ride forever and ever,” she said. “Whenever I see it, I try to get on. I love the spin when it pushes you back into the chair.”

“It’s the only ride I’ll go on,” said Sherri Gray, of Stillwater, Minnesota, who joined Nelson on the ride.

Samuel Mishek, 7, of Minneapolis, also said the Tilt-A-Whirl is his favorite fair ride, and he rode it twice in a row Thursday — screaming while riding alone in a car as it twirled and jerked. “I like when there’s little bumps because you can get ready and you know when it’s going to turn really fast,” he said.

The Tilt-A-Whirl has been a tradition at fairs around the country since 1926. Herbert Sellner, an inventor for a manufacturing company in Faribault, Minnesota, created it after attempting to make a water ride with spinning boats — which failed and was destroyed in a storm. After that, his brother Martin Sellner suggested he make a land-bound version, according to Rice County Historical Society curator Jenna Nelson.

Nelson, who has sifted through the Sellner family’s history, said the longevity of Sellner’s invention can be attributed to its design.

“It really has stood the test of time in terms of how they machined it,” she said, adding that only about 1,000 cars were ever sold, and "all of that equipment is largely the same today.”

The ride is powered by seven individual motors around a circle — and gravity makes the car spin around its dips. Weight from the riders shifts the cars’ positions as they lean, sending the cars off balance, said ride operator Thomas Lauthier, who brings his Tilt-A-Whirl to fairs around the country.

Lauthier has been operating the Tilt-A-Whirl at the Minnesota State Fair for the last 12 years. He said Midwesterners have a particular affinity for the ride.

And many riders said the Tilt-A-Whirl has become a family tradition.

“As long as I can remember, when I was young my parents and my grandparents took me to the fair, we rode the Tilt-A-Whirl every time. We love to bring our kids and do the same thing,” said Mike Pream-Anderson, a Minneapolis native. “It’s definitely a family tradition. Knowing that it’s 100 years old this year is pretty crazy, but I’m glad that we get to be a part of it.”

Friends Riley Lovett and Molly Rossbach relived their ride with giggles and nostalgia, talking about the “butterflies” they got Thursday afternoon, and remembering the Tilt-A-Whirl rides of their past. Upon learning the ride was 100, Lovett high-fived her friend Rossbach, who proclaimed: “Happy birthday Tilt-A-Whirl!"

Schmidt is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

A Tilt-A-Whirl car spins Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, at the Minnesota State Fair in Falcon Heights, Minn. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)

Dizzy riders tread lightly as they step off the Tilt-A-Whirl, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, at the Minnesota State Fair in Falcon Heights, Minn. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)

A rider clutches a Tilt-A-Whirl car Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, at the Minnesota State Fair in Falcon Heights, Minn. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)

Lana Berge, of Minneapolis, screams while riding the Tilt-A-Whirl with friends Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, at the Minnesota State Fair in Falcon Heights, Minn. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)

Fairgoers pass the Tilt-A-Whirl, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, at the Minnesota State Fair in Falcon Heights, Minn. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)