THE death toll from flash floods in Nepal rose to 788 on Sunday, with more bodies being recovered, even as more than 2,500 people are still missing. Bodies were recovered from eight affected districts as rescuers raced against time to search for those missing and rescue those stranded on the fifth day since the disaster. An ice-rock avalanche following a glacial collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border sent a torrent of water, mud and debris downstream, wiping out towns and villages, damaging crucial infrastructure and washing away hydropower stations through northern and central Nepal on August 26. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said the death toll has surged to 788. The NDRRMA further said that at least 2,502 people are still missing, while 9,435 people were rescued from flood-hit areas so far. It killed 16 people on the Chinese side as well, while nearly 550 people remain missing in Tibet, according to Chinese media reports. In a statement issued on Sunday, the NDRRMA warned that water levels in the Bhotekoshi River had risen again. “The water level in the flooded Bhotekoshi River has risen to some extent; all concerned are urged to take precautionary measures,” it said, adding that it will provide updates on the situation after receiving additional information.

 

The Bhotekoshi River, which flows south from the Himalayan border region, carried the floodwaters downstream, creating havoc on August 26. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi on Saturday said that more than 275 Indians and 128 persons of Indian origin remained missing or non-contactable in Nepal. On Sunday, the MEA in its X handle shared a list of 149 people who were rescued. According to preliminary data released by Nepal’s Education Ministry, the missing persons include 238 students and 18 teachers from different schools in three floodaffected districts. Bodies continued to be recovered in the Himalayan nation after the flash floods as search and rescue operations pressed ahead amid intermittent rainfall and rising water levels. Till Sunday evening, 264 bodies were recovered from Chitawan district alone, followed by 194 in Nawalparasi East, 100 from Nawalparasi West. More bodies were recovered from five other districts - Gorkha, Dhading, Nuwakot, Tanahu and Rasuwa, officials said. In Nepal’s hospitals, which have been witnessing major crowds of people looking for their missing relatives, the focus is increasingly shifting towards identifying the dead. Photographs have been pasted outside hospital walls, where huge gatherings could be seen scanning them with attention.