New Delhi: August 26, 2026, has become another tragic date in Nepal’s history after a deadly flash flood swept through areas along the Bhotekoshi River, destroying homes, roads, bridges and vehicles. Nearly 1,000 bodies have been recovered and more than 4,000 people are still missing, according to the data cited by Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA).
The death toll has reached 987, while more than 4,000 people are still missing, according to the NDRRMA. Around 12,000 people have been rescued. On July 26, 1963, a magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Skopje, then part of Yugoslavia. Around 1,070 people were killed and more than 20,000 were left homeless. On November 26, 1943, an earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale struck the Ladik-Samsun-Havza area of Türkiye, killing around 4,020 people. December 26 also witnessed two devastating earthquakes. In 1939, an earthquake of 7.8 magnitude struck Türkiye’s Erzincan province, killing around 32,700 people. On December 26, 2003, a quake measuring 6.6 on Rector scale struck southern Iran, killing more than 31,000 people. On May 26, 2006, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit near Yogyakarta in Indonesia. Around 5,700 people were killed and more than 10,000 were injured. On January 26, 2001, Gujarat was hit by a magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with Kutch among the worst-affected areas. Around 20,000 people died and more than 166,000 were injured. Four years later, on July 26, 2005, Mumbai and parts of Maharashtra experienced one of the country’s worst urban floods. More than 944 mm of rain fell within 24 hours in Mumbai, flooding large parts of the city and surrounding areas. The disaster killed 1,094 people. December 26, 2004, brought the Indian Ocean tsunami after a magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck near Sumatra. Around 228,000 people were killed or went missing, including more than 10,000 people in India. On October 26, 2015, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck the Hindu Kush region. Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of northern India were affected, with around 400 people killed. On November 26, 2008, Mumbai witnessed major terror attacks. The attacks continued for three days and killed 166 people. More than 300 people were injured. On April 26, 1986, an explosion occurred in Reactor No. 4 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine during a safety test. The United Nations initially said around 50 people had died directly from the disaster, while later estimates suggested that thousands of deaths could have been caused by radiation exposure. On August 26, 2021, a suicide bombing struck Kabul airport in Afghanistan during the US-led evacuation of people from the country. At least 183 people were killed, including 170 Afghan civilians and 13 US military personnel. On September 26, 2023, a fire broke out at a wedding hall in Qaraqosh, Iraq, after fireworks ignited material in the venue. More than 100 people died. The list also includes the crash of the Lauda Air flight 004 on May 26, 1991, in which all 223 people on board were killed. On April 26, 1942, the Benxihu Colliery disaster in China killed 1,549 miners after an explosion involving gas and coal dust.
The number 26 has therefore appeared in the dates of several major tragedies across different countries and decades. There was no exceptionally heavy rain or cloudburst reported in the area when the flooding began. From major earthquakes and floods to plane crashes and terror attacks, the date has turned up again and again in some of history’s deadliest disasters. There is no scientific reason to call the date unlucky, but the number of tragedies recorded on it is difficult to ignore. The exact cause of the Nepal flood has not been firmly established. Early assessments suggested that a large section of a glacier near the Nepal-Tibet border may have broken away and fallen, sending a huge volume of water into the Bhotekoshi River. The rising water then moved towards lower areas at great speed. The flood swept away houses, vehicles, roads and bridges and affected parts of Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha and Tanahun districts within hours. The date has appeared in several of the world’s worst natural disasters. India has its own painful history with the date. Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and several other countries were hit by the waves. Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands suffered heavy losses. The date has also appeared in the history of major accidents and attacks. Ten Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorists attacked several locations across the city, including Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. Radioactive material spread across parts of Europe. These events have given the date a grim place in popular memory, though disasters and accidents do not follow a calendar.
