Buried under debris, erased from the record
Summary
A devastating flood in Rasuwa has left thousands missing across 74 districts and 35 countries, exposing major gaps in Nepal’s record-keeping and disaster tracking systems. Authorities are relying on families to file reports as damaged infrastructure, destroyed offices and duplicate entries complicate the search.
Key Points
- Rasuwa’s flood has triggered a nationwide missing-person accounting effort, with authorities receiving reports from 74 districts and 35 foreign countries.
- Official records list 1,451 recovered bodies and 5,745 people missing, but the true numbers remain uncertain as verification continues.
- Destroyed administrative offices, missing local officials and poor population registries have made it difficult to trace residents, workers and tourists caught in the disaster.
- The government is cross-checking reports through the NDRRMA and its centralized Setu application to remove duplicate entries and consolidate verified data.
