Breaking · Safety & Advisories

Nepal Wants to Declare Its Flood Missing Dead After 45 Days Instead of 12 Years, Here’s What Families Need to Know

Nepal’s cabinet has moved to cut the wait for declaring a missing person dead from 12 years to 45 days after the 26 August floods. Here is what is…

By Kevin Crow · Oct 11, 2026

Nepal’s cabinet recommended on 7 October 2026 that people missing in a disaster can be declared dead after 45 days, instead of the current 12 years. The change follows the 26 August Bhotekoshi-Trishuli floods, which killed at least 1,455 people and left 5,285…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

What exactly has Nepal changed?

The cabinet recommended an ordinance that shortens the waiting period for declaring a missing person dead in disaster cases from 12 years to 45 days. Government spokesperson Sasmit Pokhrel said the move was made in light of the Bhotekoshi floods. Two laws are…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

Why was the old rule a problem?

Without a death registration, families could not reach relief, compensation or other legal benefits. A Law Ministry joint secretary told a parliamentary committee that existing provisions were not enough to declare and register deaths after a disaster. The…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

Does this affect foreign families?

It is not yet clear. The reports we could verify do not say whether the 45-day rule applies to foreign nationals or how a foreign embassy’s paperwork would be treated. Families of 54 Malaysians still missing welcomed the proposal on 8 October but asked their…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

What should you do if someone you know is missing?

Stay in contact with your own country’s foreign ministry and embassy, because they hold the casework and will learn first how Nepal’s ordinance applies. Keep identity documents, travel itineraries and any DNA-relevant contacts organised, and do not assume…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News