Nepal’s death toll from last week’s devastating flash floods has risen nearly to 962, with 3,925 people still unaccounted for, authorities said Tuesday.
The disaster, triggered by an ice-and-rock collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, devastated communities across northern and central Nepal, damaging roads, bridges, schools and hydropower projects.
In a grim discovery, rescuers recovered 23 bodies from a single house in Betrawati, Nuwakot. Another 13 bodies were recovered from Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar in India and are being prepared for repatriation to Nepal.
Rescue teams are searching for 933 workers feared trapped or missing at 11 hydropower projects.
At Trishuli 3A, around 40-42 engineers were working when floods struck, while 118 workers remain unaccounted for at Trishuli 3B. Army teams are using excavators, searchlights and controlled blasts to clear mud-filled tunnels.
More than 10,000 people, including 323 foreign nationals, have been rescued, while about 590 foreigners from 39 countries remain missing. Nepal has sought DNA kits, drones, LiDAR and other specialised equipment, with assistance from India, China and other countries.
The UN estimates 65,000 people urgently need water, sanitation and hygiene support, while thousands of children and pregnant women require protection and nutritional assistance.
Rescue efforts remain hampered by damaged infrastructure, thick mud and continuing bad weather.
