The death toll from recent flash floods in Nepal could rise close to 10,000, according to a Nepalese minister who spoke at a seminar in Delhi, India. This potential figure would match the human loss from the devastating 2015 earthquake that struck the region. The 7.8-magnitude earthquake killed around 9,000 people and injured over 21,000 across Nepal, China, India, and Bangladesh. As of Sunday, the flood death toll was reported at 1,450, with 6,000 people still missing, according to the Indian news agency PTI, which cited Nepalese police. The minister was in India for a three-day visit, where he met with Indian finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman to discuss economic cooperation and Nepal’s need for support in disaster recovery. He also met with Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar to work on improving diplomatic relations, as reported by The Hindu. Meanwhile, Nepalese authorities noted that only about seven percent of the bodies recovered from the floods had been identified. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority has collected DNA samples from 1,206 bodies and 1,889 relatives of the missing, but so far, only 105 bodies have been identified and returned to families. Efforts to locate the missing have involved the use of thermal drones and helicopters, along with specialists rescuing workers trapped in hydropower project tunnels. Authorities have reported several successful rescues from these tunnels. However, families of foreign nationals have noted that updates on rescue operations have become less frequent. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority cited challenges such as limited airspace, difficult mountainous terrain, and the large amount of debris as major obstacles in the search for the missing. Despite these difficulties, the scale of the disaster has prompted both local and international efforts to support Nepal. The situation remains critical, with thousands still unaccounted for and the full human cost of the floods yet to be fully understood.