Nepal has reduced the legal waiting period for declaring people missing in disasters dead from 12 years to approximately 45 days, following a devastating flood that left thousands of people unaccounted for. President Ram Chandra Poudel issued an ordinance on Friday, October 9, allowing families of missing victims to pursue death certificates and related legal procedures without waiting for more than a decade. The decision comes as authorities shift their focus from search and rescue operations to rehabilitation and recovery.

The catastrophic flood struck on August 26 after a mountain and glacier collapse near the Nepal-China border triggered a massive surge of water through affected areas. The disaster killed more than 1,400 people and left over 5,000 missing, including hundreds of foreign nationals. Floodwaters destroyed roads, bridges, settlements and hydropower infrastructure, while mud and sediment complicated rescue efforts across several districts.

Under Nepal's previous legal framework, people generally had to remain missing for 12 years before they could be presumed dead under the applicable provisions. The lengthy waiting period created difficulties for families seeking official documentation for relatives who disappeared during the disaster. The government moved to change the rules through an ordinance after determining that existing procedures were inadequate to address the large number of missing persons following the floods.

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The revised timeline is expected to help affected families obtain death certificates, which are often necessary to claim government compensation, insurance benefits and other financial assistance. Official documentation can also allow relatives to resolve inheritance, property and banking matters that remain unsettled when a person's legal status is uncertain. Before the change, many families faced prolonged administrative difficulties despite the scale of the disaster and the extensive search efforts undertaken by rescue teams.

Authorities have reported that only 112 bodies had been identified and returned to families at the time of the announcement, leaving thousands without definitive confirmation of their relatives' fate. Some families have already conducted symbolic funeral rites for missing loved ones while waiting for official recognition of their deaths. The uncertainty has added to the emotional and financial difficulties faced by survivors in the affected communities.

Nepal has also ended its main search and rescue operation and redirected efforts towards rehabilitation, reconstruction and restoring damaged infrastructure. The government estimates that recovery will require billions of dollars, with roads, bridges and hydropower facilities among the critical areas needing attention. The shortened legal waiting period represents a significant administrative step towards helping families address the consequences of the disaster while recovery work continues.

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