Amid continuous rescue operation, the death toll from the devastating flash floods in Nepal went up to 1,344 on Saturday as more bodies were recovered from the affected areas, according to Nepal Police. Rescue teams continued to search for around 5,000 people, including at least 589 foreign nationals, who remain missing, while more than 13,100 people have been rescued, officials said.
And among those rescued on Saturday was a 60-year-old woman who was pulled out alive from the top floor of a four-storey house, where she was trapped for 10 days, buried under mud and debris after the floods, in Bidur town in Nepal’s Nuwakot district. Her family had performed symbolic last rites assuming she was dead, after they could not find her for several days following the disaster.
Identified as Chandika Shrestha, the woman was found unconscious by an Armed Police Force (APF) team, and flown to the Nepali Army’s Maithili Barracks in Trishuli for treatment. She will be flown to Kathmandu for further medical treatment, said APF deputy spokesperson Shailendra Thapa.
The flash floods, triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal. The Bhotekoshi River, which flows south from the Himalayan border region, carried the floodwaters downstream, sweeping away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges and damaging hydropower projects.
Disaster kills at least 21 people on Chinese side
The disaster also killed at least 21 people on the Chinese side, while more than 500 people remain missing in Tibet, according to Chinese media reports. Of the total bodies recovered in Nepal so far, 85 were children, while 501 were found with body parts missing, officials said, attributing the condition of the bodies to prolonged exposure to water and the weight of debris.
360 bodies were recovered in Chitwan
As many as 360 bodies were recovered in Chitwan alone, the highest among all districts. The rest were from Nawalparasi East, Nawalparasi West, Nuwakot, Rasuwa, Gorkha, Dhading and Tanahun districts, according to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA).
Only 98 bodies have been handed over to families so far after identification, according to NDRRMA. Identifying the dead has emerged as a major challenge. Bodies recovered after being swept downstream have often been severely damaged, decomposed or recovered only in parts, making identification by face, clothing or personal belongings difficult, officials said.
Nepal’s hospitals struggle to cope with growing number of unidentified bodies
In the meantime, Nepal’s hospitals struggled to cope with the growing number of unidentified bodies. Large crowds continued to gather at medical facilities, carrying photographs of missing relatives and scrutinising images of the dead displayed on the walls.
Authorities continue to monitor water levels in several rivers, including the Koshi, Narayani, Bagmati, Karnali, Mahakali, Kankai, Kamal, Kamala, Babai, Eastern Rapti and Western Rapti. Major rescue operations are underway at hydropower projects in flood-affected districts, where hundreds of men are believed to be trapped in tunnels. Teams of experts from India and China are assisting their Nepali counterparts in these operations.
With inputs from PTI
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