More than 900 people have died, and nearly 4,500 remain missing after devastating flash floods hit Nepal on August 26, 2026. The scale of the tragedy has brought renewed attention to an unsettling coincidence: Some of the world’s deadliest earthquakes, floods, tsunamis and human-made disasters have also occured on the 26th
Is August 26, 2026 is another tragic date in Nepal’s history, or is there something unusual about the number 26?
There is no scientific evidence that the calendar date has anything to do with disasters. But the list is long enough to make the coincidence difficult to ignore. The answer, scientifically, is no. Yet the history attached to the date is undeniably grim.
August 26, 2026: Nepal’s latest tragedy
On August 26, a sudden surge of water and debris entered the Bhote Koshi river system, sending a massive flash flood through Rasuwa district and surrounding areas. The disaster destroyed settlements, roads and bridges and damaged hydropower projects and other infrastructure.
The flooding followed a collapse of glacial rock and ice in the Himalayas, which sent a huge volume of debris and water downstream.
The flood also struck the Nepal-Tibet border, damaging the Rasuwagadhi crossing. Rescue operations continued as authorities searched for people reported missing.
By August 31, more than 900 people had died, and nearly 4,500 were missing.
The disaster has now become the latest entry in a history of catastrophes that happened on the 26th.
The disasters that made ‘26’ stand out
For Indians, perhaps the most familiar disaster associated with the date is the Gujarat earthquake of January 26, 2001.
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Gujarat on Republic Day, causing enormous destruction, particularly in Kutch. Around 20,000 people were killed and more than 166,000 injured. Entire towns were devastated.
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Gujarat on January 26, 2001, killing around 20,000 people. File image/Reuters
Four years later, another major disaster struck India on July 26.
The 2005 Maharashtra floods brought exceptionally heavy rainfall to Mumbai and other parts of the state. Mumbai received around 944 mm of rain in 24 hours, overwhelming roads, railways and drainage systems. PTI reported that 1,094 people were killed in Maharashtra.
In 2005, Maharashtra received around 944 mm of rain in 24 hours, overwhelming roads, railways and drainage systems. File image/Reuters
Then came one of the deadliest disasters in modern history.
On December 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck off Sumatra, triggering a tsunami across the Indian Ocean. Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and other countries were hit by enormous waves.
Around 228,000 people were killed or left missing and presumed dead. In India, more than 10,000 people died, with Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands among the worst affected.
A year earlier, on December 26, 2003, an earthquake struck Bam in southeastern Iran. The magnitude 6.6 quake destroyed much of the historic city and killed around 31,000 people.
On May 26, 2006, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck near Yogyakarta in Indonesia. More than 5,700 people died, while tens of thousands were injured. The shallow earthquake caused severe damage across densely populated areas.
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 reported killed.
The date appears repeatedly in older disaster records too.
An earthquake of magnitude 7.5 struck the Hindu Kush region on October 26, 2015, killing around 400 people. File image/Reuters
The trail stretches back decades
The pattern is not restricted to recent years. A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Skopje, then part of Yugoslavia, on July 26, 1963. About 1,070 people died, and more than 200,000 were left homeless.
On November 26, 1943, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck the Ladik-Samsun-Havza region of Turkey, killing around 4,020 people.
One of the deadliest examples came on December 26, 1939, when a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Turkey’s Erzincan region. About 32,700 people were killed.
Other earthquakes associated with the 26th include the Lerissos earthquake in Greece on September 26, 1932, the North Izu earthquake in Japan on November 26, 1930, and the Gonghe earthquake in China on April 26, 1990.
The disasters also involve tsunamis. The Pantar earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia occurred on November 26, 1987, killing 125 people. A magnitude 7.8 earthquake off Japan on May 26, 1983, triggered a tsunami that killed more than 100 people.
It is not only natural disasters
The dark history of the 26th extends beyond earthquakes and floods.
On November 26, 2008, the Mumbai terror attacks began. Ten Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists attacked multiple locations across the city, including Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. The siege lasted almost three days, killing 166 people and injuring more than 300.
On November 26, 2008, the Mumbai terror attacks began when ten Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists attacked multiple locations across the city. File image/Reuters
On April 26, 1986, Reactor No. 4 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in then-Soviet Ukraine exploded during a safety test. Radioactive material spread across parts of Europe. The immediate official death toll was 31, while estimates of longer-term deaths linked to radiation remain a matter of scientific assessment.
The UN at first said that only 50 deaths can be linked to the disaster directly. However, in 2005, it predicted a further 4,000 might eventually die as a result of the radiation exposure, according to a BBC report.
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant in then-Soviet Ukraine exploded during a safety test on April 26, 1986, reportedly killing 31. File image/Reuters
On August 26, 2021, a suicide bombing struck Kabul airport during the US-led evacuation from Afghanistan. At least 183 people, including 170 Afghan civilians and 13 US service members, were killed.
And on September 26, 2023, a fire tore through a wedding hall in Qaraqosh, Iraq, after indoor pyrotechnics ignited flammable material. More than 100 people died.
The list also includes the 1991 Lauda Air Flight 004 crash, which killed all 223 people aboard, and the 1942 Benxihu Colliery disaster in China, where a gas and coal dust explosion killed 1,549 miners.
A pattern, not a curse
The dates are striking, but they do not point to a hidden force behind the number 26.
Earthquakes are driven by geological processes. Floods depend on rainfall, rivers, terrain and other environmental conditions. Tsunamis are generally triggered by events such as undersea earthquakes. Human-made disasters have their own causes. In other words, the calendar does not determine when disasters happen.
Nepal’s August 26 flash floods have now added another devastating chapter to that list. And while there is no evidence that the 26th is cursed, the sheer number of catastrophes attached to the date has ensured that it will continue to stand out in the calendar of disasters.
With input from agencies
What do you think about this?
Drop your opinion in the comment section.
Share this with someone who needs to see this.