UNICEF says 1,400 died and 5,300 are still missing six weeks after Nepal's flood disaster

9 October 2026

Six weeks after Nepal's flooding disaster, communities are still struggling to rebuild and will need sustained help, the UN Children's Fund said on Friday. At least 1,400 people were killed, including 84 children, and nearly 5,300 people are still missing. The flooding began in late August when a mountain of glacial ice and rock collapsed into the Bhotekoshi, Upper Trishuli and Narayani-Gandak rivers, unleashing a torrent that washed away bridges and homes. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder, reporting from Kathmandu, said affected towns and villages look like war zones and that access to some communities in Rasuwa remains difficult. Caroline Holt of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said relief supplies are still being airlifted to the most isolated areas, and that families face disrupted markets, higher transport costs and shortages of essential goods. Elder said the Himalayas are warming about twice as fast as the global average, while Nepal produces only 0.1 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. He urged that pledges on loss and damage be turned into support that reaches families, ahead of the UNFCCC climate summit COP31 in Antalya, Turkiye, from 9 to 20 November.