KATHMANDU, SEP 2 (PTI): The death toll from Nepal’s devastating flash floods crossed 1,200 on Wednesday, with rescuers battling rain and debris to trace those believed trapped in tunnels along the Bhotekoshi river and underground powerhouses.
According to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, the death toll reached 1,204, while 4,216 people remain missing a week after floods devastated northern and central parts of the country.
Security forces recovered 348 bodies from Chitawan, 217 from Nawalparasi East, 202 from Nawalparasi West, 155 from Nuwakot, 115 from Rasuwa, 69 from Gorkha, 60 from Dhading and 38 from Tanahu. Among those missing are 583 foreigners.
Joint security forces, including the Nepal Army, have rescued 11,993 people by helicopter and land routes, while around 21,314 personnel have been mobilised for search and rescue operations.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah told the House of Representatives that the disaster’s link to climate change must be strongly raised with the international community. He said experts believed the Bhotekoshi flash flood in Rasuwa was caused by an ice-rock avalanche in the Himalayas, highlighting growing risks faced by mountain communities due to climate change.
Nepal Police said postmortem and legal identification procedures have been completed for 1,113 bodies, while 95 have been handed over to relatives..
Families of those still missing have been creating funeral effigies and performing final rites. Dozens were cremated in a mass funeral at Pashupati Aryaghat on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Chinese officials said the death toll from a flash flood in Tibet’s Gyirong county near Nepal rose to 21, with 541 missing. Nearly 100 Chinese nationals remain unaccounted for in Nepal. (More on p-9)
