KATHMANDU / RankWire.AI / – Nepal has raised the number of people missing after the Aug. 26 floods to 6,150 following updated district-level verification. The previous count stood at 5,179, meaning authorities added 971 names to the national total. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority reported the revised figures as search and identification work continued. Authorities have recovered 1,403 bodies since the disaster. They have formally identified 105 of those victims.
Forensic teams have collected 3,175 DNA samples as authorities work to identify victims and reconcile missing-person records. The total includes 1,286 samples from recovered bodies and 1,889 from relatives of missing people. Officials have also recorded 13,742 rescues since the disaster struck northern Nepal. Another 587 foreign nationals remain on the missing list. The figures reflect the scale of the search across remote mountain districts and communities affected by floodwaters and debris.
Rasuwa accounts for 2,679 missing people in the latest official breakdown, while Nuwakot accounts for 1,787. Both districts suffered extensive damage during the late-August disaster. Floodwaters and debris damaged roads, settlements, bridges and other infrastructure across the region. Search teams have worked through river valleys and damaged communities while authorities review local records. Officials are comparing family reports, district data and forensic evidence as they update the national count.
Authorities expand missing-person count
The disaster began after a large collapse of rock and ice on Langtang Lirung triggered a destructive debris flow. The flow entered the Bhotekoshi river system and moved through communities downstream. Rasuwa, near Nepal’s border with China, recorded some of the heaviest losses. Nuwakot and Dhading also reported major impacts from the flooding. The event damaged homes, transport links and hydropower infrastructure while forcing large-scale rescue operations across difficult mountain terrain.
Helicopters have completed 1,923 flights in support of rescue and relief operations, according to the latest official figures. Authorities also established 29 holding centers for people displaced or affected by the disaster. Those centers recorded 2,096 people in the latest update. Nepal Police has supported rescue, relief and community assistance across affected areas. Search teams and forensic specialists continue to process records and samples connected to people still listed as missing.
DNA work supports victim identification
The increase from 5,179 to 6,150 missing people followed further collection and verification of information from affected districts. Authorities continue to record confirmed deaths separately from missing people and formally identified victims. DNA matching remains part of the identification process for recovered bodies. Officials are comparing samples from victims with those provided by relatives. Only 105 of the 1,403 recovered bodies had received formal identification in the latest confirmed data.
The disaster also caused casualties across the border in China, where authorities reported 43 deaths and 519 people missing. Combined figures for Nepal and China stand at 1,446 confirmed deaths and at least 6,669 missing people. Nepal’s latest verified totals remain 6,150 missing and 1,403 bodies recovered. Search, recovery and identification work continues across the affected districts. Authorities are still reviewing district reports, family information and forensic records as they maintain the official accounting of the disaster.