Authorities in Nepal continue to face significant challenges identifying victims and accounting for thousands of individuals missing following a catastrophic flood caused by a glacial collapse. More than three weeks after the disaster, which swept through mountain settlements and hydropower facilities, relief efforts are ongoing, although hopes of finding additional survivors are diminishing.

According to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), approximately 5,200 people remain unaccounted for, including 636 foreigners. At least 1,399 fatalities have been confirmed so far. The agency reported that DNA samples have been collected from 1,206 recovered bodies and from 1,889 relatives of the missing in an effort to aid identification processes. However, only around 7% of the bodies recovered—105 individuals—have been positively identified and returned to their families.

The scale of the devastation poses considerable obstacles for search and rescue teams. Mountainous terrain, narrow airspace, and extensive debris deposits hamper efforts to locate those trapped or missing. Thermal drones and helicopters have been deployed to assist in the search, alongside specialists working to access people stranded in tunnels within the hydropower plants affected by the flood.

Despite the slow pace of progress, there have been some notable rescues of individuals discovered alive within the underground hydroelectric infrastructure. Nevertheless, families of foreign nationals involved in the disaster have expressed concern over the decline in regular updates from authorities regarding ongoing rescue operations.

The NDRRMA stated it continues to provide consistent communication to foreign embassies and the relatives of missing persons through both direct and indirect channels. The search and identification efforts remain an immense and complex task amid challenging environmental and logistical conditions following one of Nepal’s deadliest natural disasters in recent years.