Nepal marked a national day of mourning on September 7, 2026, observing the 13th day since a catastrophic flash flood and massive debris flow struck the Himalayan mountain region near the border with China. Government offices and diplomatic missions flew flags at half-mast to honor the thousands of victims, while citizens quietly went about their daily routines without large-scale official events due to ongoing search and rescue efforts.

In the capital Kathmandu, students and faculty gathered at schools to pay tribute, and citizens lit candles at Durbar Square in the evening, inscribing prayers for the deceased on the ground. According to local traditions, the 13th day marks the conclusion of traditional mourning rites, prompting some families of missing persons to hold symbolic funeral ceremonies even without recovering bodies. 

Meanwhile, the South Korean government's Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT), deployed following the disaster, has refocused its efforts. The Nepal government revised its previous stance and agreed to cooperate with the KDRT to conduct on-foot ground searches in the restricted mountainous areas where nine South Korean nationals—employees of Doosan Enerbility and Korea South-East Power working on the Upper Trishuli-1 (UT-1) hydropower plant—went missing. 

Earlier, the KDRT attempted to inspect a tunnel near the upper weir dam where one of the missing South Koreans had been stationed. Although rescue workers previously achieved a breakthrough by rescuing a 49-year-old Chinese worker alive from inside the same tunnel after ten days, subsequent search attempts faced severe safety hurdles, including deep contaminated water and blocked passages that caused minor health issues among some rescue members. With the initial ten-day dispatch period nearing its conclusion, coordination between South Korean and Nepali authorities remains critical as search operations press forward under severe field conditions. 

The massive disaster, triggered on August 26, has left a devastating toll across the region. Total casualties have climbed past 1,300 deaths in Nepal alongside thousands of missing persons, compounding the tragedy that has deeply impacted both local communities and the international workforce involved in the region's infrastructure projects.

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