KATHMANDU / RankWire.AI / – Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority has raised the number of people missing after the Aug. 26 floods to 6,150. The revised total is 971 higher than the previous figure of 5,179. Officials said updated records from affected districts drove the increase after verification. Authorities have also recovered 1,403 bodies since the disaster struck. The floods and debris flows caused extensive damage across northern Nepal, particularly near the border with China.
Nepal flood search continues as authorities track 6,150 people still missing. (AI-generated image)
Authorities have identified 105 of the recovered bodies and continue forensic work on the others. The latest government data lists 3,175 DNA samples collected during the identification process. That total includes 1,286 samples from the deceased and 1,889 from relatives of missing people. Officials have rescued 13,742 people since the disaster began. Another 587 foreign nationals remain among those listed as missing, adding an international dimension to the continuing search and identification effort.
Official records list 2,679 missing people linked to Rasuwa and 1,787 linked to Nuwakot. Both districts sit within the wider area affected by the late-August disaster. Floodwaters and debris damaged settlements, roads and infrastructure across the mountainous region. Search teams have continued working through river corridors, damaged communities and sites connected to major hydropower projects. Authorities are also checking local records against family reports as they update the national list of missing people.
Search and identification efforts continue
The disaster began after a collapse of ice and rock on Mount Langtang Lirung triggered a powerful debris flow. The flow entered the Bhotekoshi river system and moved through valleys and communities downstream. Rasuwa suffered major losses because of its location along the Nepal-China border and the flood corridor. Other affected districts included Nuwakot, Dhading and several areas farther downstream. The Aug. 26 event also caused widespread disruption to infrastructure and left thousands of people needing rescue or emergency assistance.
Official response data show that helicopters have completed 1,923 flights in support of rescue operations. Authorities have also operated 29 holding centers for people displaced or affected by the disaster. The latest figures placed 2,096 people in those centers. Nepal Police has supported search, rescue and relief work while also conducting community programs in affected areas. Rescue teams continue to work in difficult mountain terrain, while forensic specialists process DNA samples to establish the identities of recovered victims.
Missing total rises after data verification
Officials revised the missing total from 5,179 to 6,150 after collecting and verifying information from affected districts. The adjustment added 971 people to the national missing-person count. Authorities continue to separate missing-person records from confirmed deaths and formally identified victims. Forensic teams are matching DNA from recovered bodies with samples provided by relatives. The process remains central to identifying victims because only 105 of the 1,403 recovered bodies had been formally identified in the latest official update.
The disaster also affected areas across the border in China, where authorities reported 43 deaths and 519 people missing. Those figures bring the combined Nepal-China toll to 1,446 confirmed deaths and at least 6,669 missing people. In Nepal, the latest verified count remains 6,150 missing and 1,403 bodies recovered. Search, recovery and identification operations remain active across affected areas. Officials continue reviewing district reports and forensic records as they maintain the national accounting of people killed, missing and rescued.