Kathmandu: Rescuers in Nepal continued searching for those missing, as authorities faced continuing difficulties in identifying the dead, 11 days after devastating floods struck large parts of the country.
The death toll stood at 1,344, while nearly 5,000 people remained missing, according to Nepal Police. More than 13,100 people have been rescued so far.
The disaster was triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, sending a massive surge of water and debris downstream through the Bhotekoshi River and devastating settlements in northern and central Nepal. Homes, vehicles, roads, bridges and hydropower infrastructure were swept away.
At least 21 people were killed on the Chinese side as well, while more than 500 people remained missing in Tibet, according to Chinese media reports.
Of the bodies recovered in Nepal, at least 85 were children, while around 500 were recovered with body parts missing, according to officials. The condition of many bodies has complicated efforts to establish their identities.
Chitwan district accounted for the largest number of recovered bodies, with 362, followed by other affected districts including Nawalparasi East, Nawalparasi West, Nuwakot, Rasuwa, Gorkha, Dhading and Tanahun, according to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA).
Only 98 bodies had been identified and handed over to their families, according to NDRRMA.
Identifying the dead has emerged as a major challenge, with many bodies recovered after being swept downstream severely damaged, decomposed or recovered only in parts.
Police have said that bodies carried far from the disaster sites and those that remained in water and mud have made identification particularly difficult.
Nepal Police has begun collecting DNA samples from relatives of missing people to help identify unclaimed bodies and human remains recovered after the floods. Relatives in Nepal can provide samples through the Nepal Police Hospital in Kathmandu or their nearest district police office.
Meanwhile, a fresh flood in Gorkha district early Sunday swept away four houses and a suspension bridge, although there were no casualties.
The flood occurred in Chumnubri Rural Municipality-4 after the Namrung Khola overflowed, according to police. The four houses were swept away after residents became aware of the approaching flood and fled to safety.
Authorities said the river may have been temporarily blocked near its source before releasing a surge carrying mud and debris downstream. The Namrung Khola flows into the Budhigandaki River, and residents along the Budhigandaki have been urged to remain alert.
The flooding also damaged two small hydropower projects in the wider Namrung area, according to local media reports. It also affected movement in the area after the suspension bridge was swept away.
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