Nepal Flash Floods: Death Toll Climbs To 903, More Than 4200 Still Missing Or Not Contactable, Says NDRRMA

New Delhi: The death toll from devastating flash floods in Nepal has risen to 903, while 4,247 people remain missing or out of contact, as rescue teams continued searching for those missing across flood-hit districts and hydropower projects in the Himalayan region.

According to the latest data released by Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) on Monday, Chitwan has reported the highest number of deaths at 272, including recovered human remains, so far. As many as 207 bodies have been recovered from Nawalparasi (East), followed by Nawalparasi (West) with 151, Nuwakot with 95, Gorkha with 62, Dhading with 55, Tanahun with 37 and Rasuwa with 24.

Authorities have buried most of the bodies at Devghat, at the confluence of the Kali Gandaki and Trishuli rivers, to prevent spread of any disease. However, before the burial, DNA samples were reportedly collected from the bodies to help the identification process in the future, the District Administration Office in Chitwan said.

The NDRRMA said all the unidentified bodies have been kept at 21 hospitals across different districts and urged relatives of missing people to check official records for identification.

Among the 4,247 people still out of contact are 592 foreign nationals. Another 933 people working at hydropower projects along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river corridors remain unaccounted for. Rescue teams are continuing efforts to reach people trapped inside tunnels at several hydropower projects with assistance from Indian and Chinese technical teams.

The missing persons' list also includes 25 Nepal Police personnel, 45 Nepal Army personnel, 13 Armed Police Force personnel, 15 Customs Office personnel and three Immigration Office personnel.

The data shared by District Emergency Operations Centre suggests 1,548 people are missing in Nuwakot and 865 in Rasuwa, while 65 people remain missing in Makwanpur.

On August 30, authorities rescued 15 people from a hydropower site, including five Chinese and seven Indian nationals. So far, 10,451 people have been rescued, including 252 foreign nationals and 3,344 Nepali nationals through aerial operations by the Nepal Army.

A total of 411 flights have been engaged so far for rescue and relief operations, including seven on Monday. Ground teams have also carried out thousands of rescues as security personnel continue operations in affected areas.

As per official reports, the disaster has left 267 people injured, of whom 156 have been discharged after treatment.

The NDRRMA said 20,819 security personnel including 8,722 Nepal Army personnel, 7,894 Nepal Police personnel and 4,203 Armed Police Force personnel have been mobilised for search, rescue and relief operations.

Relief supplies are also being sent to affected areas, with food and non-food items transported through 37 trucks and 35 Bolero vehicles, besides supplies delivered through eight helicopter flights, the authorities said.

Indian Forensic Team Begins DNA Identification Of Victims, Tunnel Team Too Joins Ops

Meanwhile, a 19-member specialised forensic team from India commenced operations in Kathmandu on Sunday to assist the Nepalese authorities with DNA sample analysis for identifying victims of the catastrophic flash floods.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Ambassador of India to Nepal met and briefed the forensics team prior to their technical consultations with counterparts at the Nepal Police's Central Forensic Science Laboratory and the Forensics Department of the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital.

Concurrently, India's specialised tunnel rescue team continued joint operations with the Nepali Army at damaged hydropower project sites in Chilime and Langtang.

Despite severe weather conditions, the MEA noted that the tunnel team managed to enter a structure near the Langtang hydroelectric project and retrieved the mortal remains of one individual. Search and recovery operations in the area remain ongoing.

Citing local government sources on the Chinese side, the MEA confirmed that 403 Indian nationals safely crossed the border into Nepal from China on Sunday. MEA also informed that another 500 Indian nationals remain on the Chinese side and have been confirmed safe. (With Agency Inputs)

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