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The Nerbudda incident (Chinese: 吶爾不噠號事件) was the summary execution of 197 crewmembers of the British merchant ships Nerbudda and Ann on 10 August 1842 by Chinese authorities in Taiwan during the First Opium War. An additional 87 prisoners died from mistreatment in Chinese captivity.

In September 1841, Nerbudda was shipwrecked off northern Taiwan near Keelung, and in March 1842 Ann was shipwrecked at Da'an harbour. Surviving crewmembers from both ships—primarily Indian camp followers and lascars—were captured by Chinese forces and marched south to the prefectural capital of Taiwan, where they were imprisoned in a granary before being beheaded in August. The Daoguang Emperor ordered their execution on 14 May 1842 after Britain's victory over the Chinese at the Battle of Ningpo. Out of the nearly 300 survivors of both ships who landed or attempted to land in Taiwan, only 11 survived the war.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the British East India Company (EIC) viewed Taiwan as a viable location for a trading post, as the island had abundant amounts of natural resources. EIC officials unsuccessfully lobbied the British government to establish control over Taiwan and grant them a trade monopoly there. In 1840, a British national named William Huttmann wrote a letter to Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston claiming that given the strategic and commercial value of the island and the Qing dynasty's weak control over it, a single warship and fewer than 1,500 troops could successfully occupy eastern Taiwan, allowing Britain to develop trade routes with the outside world. During the First Opium War, the Royal Navy patrolled the Taiwan Strait and the Penghu, though making no attempt to attack Taiwan itself.

In early September 1841, the British merchant ship Nerbudda set sail from Hong Kong Island to Chusan. It had 274 crewmembers, consisting of 243 Indians, 29 Europeans and two Filipinos from Manila. A severe gale dismasted the ship, which drifted towards the northern coast of Taiwan and struck a reef. All 29 Europeans, accompanied by three Indians and the two Filipinos, left Nerbudda in a row boat, leaving behind 240 Indians, 170 of whom were camp followers and 70 lascars. The ship, which was supplied with provisions, lay in smooth water in Keelung bay for five days, during which the remaining crew and passengers prepared rafts. In attempting to land, some drowned in the surf, others were killed by local scavengers on the shore and the rest were captured by Chinese authorities, who separated them into small parties and marched them to the prefectural capital of Taiwan. Only around 150 Indians are thought to have made it on shore. Meanwhile, those in the row boat proceeded along the eastern coast of Taiwan. After being adrift for several days, they were discovered by the British merchant schooner Black Swan and taken back to Hong Kong.

Two senior Chinese officials in Taiwan, the general Dahonga (達洪阿) and the intendant Yao Ying (姚瑩), subsequently filed an inaccurate report to the Daoguang Emperor, claiming to have sunk Nerbudda from the Keelung fort while defending it against a naval attack on 30 September, killing 32 enemies and capturing 133. In response, the emperor sent rewards to both officials. However, the battle never occurred and the people they claimed to have killed or captured were the shipwrecked survivors of Nerbudda. Only two ended up surviving Chinese captivity (the head and second serang) both of whom were sent to Amoy after the executions the following year.

In March 1842, the British brig Ann set sail from Chusan to Macao. It had 57 crewmembers consisting of 34 Indians, 14 Europeans and Americans, five Chinese and four Portuguese or Malaysians. Most were lascars. Strong winds drifted the ship on shore and the ebb tide caused it to run aground near Da'an harbour. The crew of Ann commandeered a Chinese junk in an attempt to set out to sea, but a gale disrupted the plan, and it was soon captured by the Chinese. Dahonga and Yao Ying again sent a disingenuous report, claiming that Chinese fishing vessels had destroyed Ann in self-defence. Only nine survivors were spared in the executions in August 1842. In 1843, a list of the names of the 57 crewmen and their fate was published in The Chinese Repository, revealing that 43 were beheaded, two died in prison, two died in the wreck of Ann, one escaped, eight were set free and sent to Amoy and one, a Chinese man, was retained as an interpreter. Of the eight prisoners set free, six were European or American, one was Indian and the other Chinese.

From 19 to 27 October 1841, the Royal Navy sloop HMS Nimrod sailed to Keelung and offered 100 dollars for the return of each survivor of Nerbudda. However, after finding out they were sent south for imprisonment, the commander of Nimrod, Captain Joseph Pearse, ordered the bombardment of the harbour, destroying 27 cannon before returning to Hong Kong. On 8 October 1842, Commander William Nevill of HMS Serpent left Amoy for Taiwan. Captain Henry Ducie Chads of HMS Cambrian had ordered him to inquire about the survivors of both ships "under a Flag of Truce". By that time, the British were aware that the captives had already been executed by the Chinese. Nevill brought a letter from Chads addressed to the governor of Taiwan, requesting the release of any remaining survivors, but reported that his reception was uncourteous and Chads' letter was not accepted by Chinese officials. The British were told that the remaining survivors of the two ships were being sent to Foochow. On 12 October, they returned to Amoy.