Kathmandu, Oct. 7 -- Nepal's cabinet on Wednesday recommended promulgating an ordinance to amend existing laws and remove legal hurdles to declaring missing persons dead.

The cabinet meeting, held at Singha Durbar, decided to recommend an ordinance amending certain laws related to disasters and introducing provisions to remove legal hurdles in declaring missing persons dead. Government spokesperson and Education Minister Sasmit Pokhrel told reporters that "the existing provision requiring a person to have been missing for 12 years before being declared dead would be reduced to 45 days in view of the Bhotekoshi floods".

Nepal on August 26 witnessed a "Himalayan Tsunami" triggered by a rock-and-ice avalanche, which has so far killed over ...