Nepal cuts wait period to declare missing flood victims dead
The period required before a missing person can be legally declared dead is being cut from 12 years to 45 days.
Following a devastating flood on August 26 near the China-Nepal border, Nepal's president has reduced the waiting period to declare missing disaster victims dead from 12 years to approximately 1.5 months. The catastrophic flood, triggered by a mountain and glacier collapse, swept through several districts, destroying infrastructure and claiming over 1,400 lives.
More than 5,000 people remain unaccounted for, including numerous foreign nationals. Previously, a person had to be missing for 12 years before legal declaration of death. This rule has been updated to a shorter timeline of around 45 days, following a cabinet meeting that forwarded an ordinance to the president. As of now, only 112 bodies have been identified and returned to their families.
Rescue efforts, which spanned weeks, involved sifting through mud and sediment, as well as inspecting flood-damaged homes for survivors and victims. Despite the passage of more than a month since the disaster, families of missing individuals have faced challenges in obtaining death certificates, hindering their ability to access compensation or resolve property disputes.
Tragically, some families have already conducted symbolic cremation ceremonies for loved ones still missing.
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- Malaysians missing in Nepal — families in Catch-22 situation freemalaysiatoday.com
